She's A Keeper
by colourful-sand-dollar
Summary: From that first fateful moment on the Platform, Rose, Albus and Scorpius have been inseperable. All they want to do is get through their years at Hogwarts unscathed. But is that even possible at such a school?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello everyone! If you've been reading my other story, I apologize but I'm putting it on hiatus until this one is finished. I'm currently about 40,000 words in, and not really sure where it is going. I'm just letting Rose take the wheel and lead me where she wants to go.

This story is in third person, but it's main focus is on Rose. You will see focusing on Albus and Scorpius though, don't worry. Rose/Scorpius has always been my favorite pairing since I finished the books. The only other one's I really loved were Dean/Luna, Ron/Hermione, Draco/Astoria, and Katie/Oliver. Anyways I hope you enjoy this story! Oh and keep an eye out and let me know if you see any errors, I can be a little messy sometimes and I miss things!

So, read, review, and enjoy!

_**OK UPDATE: IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ**_

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I realized this chapter was indeed too long, and could have been separated. So I have cut off a portion to add to the beginning of the next chapter. Sorry if this confuses anyone!

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**CHAPTER 1**

'_Look who it is.'_

_Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasized the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly and turned away again._

'_So that's little Scorpius,' said Ron under his breath. 'Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains.'_

'_Ron for heaven's sake,' said Hermione half-stern, half-amused. 'Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!'_

'_You're right, sorry,' said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, 'don't get _too_ friendly with him though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood.'_

Albus groaned. They were now on the way to Hogwarts, their new home away from home so to speak. Rose had disappeared; James was no where in sight. Probably off with Fred, Lucy and the other second year Gryffindors; Dominique was no where to be found, probably off making friends; and Molly and Frank were more than likely in the prefects compartment with Victoire.

Huffing, he dragged his rucksack down the corridor, as everyone seemed to be in compartments now. His trunk was, thankfully, stored away in a luggage compartment thanks to his father.

Pushing his black hair from his eyes by running his hand from front to back, he smirked as he noticed some first year girls giggling at him. Maybe first year wouldn't be _so_ bad?

Finally he recognized a familiar bob of hair in a compartment. The auburn locks were unmistakably belonging to Rose Weasley. It appeared she was alone in the compartment, that is, until he entered.

"Hullo Rose, mind if I join you – oh, never mind, I see you have made a friend, I'll go elsewhere."

Rose smiled, "Oh no, Albus it's fine, there's plenty of room! This is Scorpius. Remember, the one my dad pointed out? He's a first year, too!"

Albus turned finally to notice who else was in the compartment. Sure enough, there sat the blonde boy Uncle Ron had pointed out at the station. "Er Rose…no offence or nothing Scorpius…but didn't your father say to not get friendly with him?" Albus gave the boy a look as if to say 'Her father's words, not mine.' Scorpius inclined his head as if he understood.

"No Albus, you see. He specifically stated, '_don't get _too_ friendly with him though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood._' Now I can find loopholes in what he said. One: He didn't say I _couldn't_ be friends with him. Just not _too friendly_, there's a difference_._ And Two: I'm not going to _marry him_. Jeez." Rose smiled as if she'd just gotten seven O's in her OWLs. Scorpius seemed to almost blush for a moment, but it passed quickly.

"Wow, well you've got nothing to worry about then, now do you Rosie?" Rose blushed, she hated being called Rosie. Only her dad was allowed to do that.

"It's _Rose_ Albus, you know that…" she said, glaring mini-daggers at him.

"Whatever…_Rosie_," he smirked.

The trolley arrived then, and the trio purchased a fair amount of sweets to keep them entertained, including a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and some pumpkin pasties.

The rest of the train ride passed with the trio trading stories and such about their lives at home. Scorpius, despite who his father and aunt was, wished not to be sorted into Slytherin, and wanted to be in Ravenclaw like his mother. Rose and Albus found this surprising, as their fathers had told them _every_ Malfoy had been in Slytherin.

He replied with, "Ah, but not every member of my _family_ has. Know you're friend Ted Lupin? Well he's my _cousin_, and he's in Gryffindor, isn't he?"

Rose gasped, he was right! Teddy was a Gryffindor!

"And Harry Potter's Godfather? Sirius Black? He's related to me too, and he was a Gryffindor! So I think it's time to break tradition!"

Albus and Rose grinned. "Well maybe we should as well, right Albus?"

Albus looked wary for a moment, "S'long as I'm not in Slytherin, I don't care. My father told me the hat _listens_ to what you want. Can you believe that?"

"Really? Well let's make a truce then. First Malfoy, Weasley and Potter not in their respective houses! Yes, sounds about right. But where would we go?" Scorpius looked puzzled.

"You said before you want to be in Ravenclaw. Can you imagine? All of us, not only sorted elsewhere, but in the same house!" Rose grinned mischievously.

Albus smirked, "I knew you were my relative Rose!" he said, ruffling her hair.

Rose looked out the window then. "I expect we'll be arriving soon. You boys should change into your robes. Considering _I've_ got mine on, I'll keep our compartment."

The boys groaned, before nodding, grabbing their things and heading to the probably packed loo to change.

Moments passed before Rose heard a knock on the door. A blonde head poked herself inside. "Hi Rose!" beamed her cousin Victoire. "Are you excited?"

"Of course Vick!" Rose practically squealed with delight.

"How come you're by yourself?" she asked.

"Oh, the boys have gone to change." Victoire raised an eyebrow. "Albus and Scorpius," Rose filled her in.

"Look at my little flower, making friends," Victoire's smile was like the brightest lamps gleaming at you. It's what you get for being one eighth Veela.

Rose smiled. She loved her cousin Victoire. She was like the older sister she never had. "Where'd Dominique sneak off to?"

"Oh I saw her chatting with some Hufflepuff second year boys. _She'll_ be welcomed at this school about as much as I was I bet. The Veela blood strikes again! Just wait 'til Louis hits Hogwarts. The girls will be gone mad! Veela blood in a _male_! It's almost unheard of…but it happened!" She grinned. "Well I better get back to the Head compartment; I just wanted to check on you, that's it."

Victoire disappeared with a small wave, and Rose sighed. That girl was probably the nicest person she had ever met, so it was a wonder she had snagged Teddy Lupin as a boyfriend. Probably because his arrogance set off her perfection…perfectly. Rose laughed to herself.

Several minutes passed before the boys returned, but it seemed like forever to Rose. By the time they arrived, Hogsmeade was in sight.

"At least we're not taking the carriages. I would hate to be brought up by those Thestral creatures my brother told me about," Albus said, staring out the window.

"Relax Albus, Thestrals are perfectly harmless. People just think of them differently because you can only see them once you've seen death. They love people! I'd rather ride one of those than a Hippogriff…or a broom for that matter!" Rose huffed as she pulled her rucksack down from the compartment above her. Her luggage was wherever Albus' was. As it appears, so was Scorpius'. Making their way to the train exits as the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled in to Hogsmeade Station, the trio did their best to stick together, but it was quite difficult as most students had the same idea.

"You're barking mad Rose! Not wanting to ride a broom? I took to Quidditch like a duck takes to water…Or at least, that's what mum said," Albus said as they finally got through a door. Scorpius trailed behind them.

"I've been practicing since I could hop on a broom myself!" Scorpius stated proudly. "I can't wait for tryouts next year. Flying lessons this year will be a breeze though."

Rose rolled her eyes as she dragged the two Quidditch fantasizing boys to the looming man on the platform. "Firs' years! All ye firs' years over 'ere please!" the man called out.

"Hagrid!" Rose said, smiling.

"Hullo Rose! Good te see yeh!" the large half-giant, half-man spoke.

"Hi Hagrid!" Albus cried out.

"Albus! Wonderful! Who else from yer family is 'ere then?"

"Victoire and Dominique, Molly and Lucy, Fred, oh and James of course! And we may as well include Frank in that list," Rose said.

"Yes, yes, sounds about righ'…and who might this be?" Hagrid said, pointing to Scorpius.

"This is Scorpius Malfoy, Hagrid," Rose grinned at the introduction.

Hagrid seemed apprehensive at first, but smiled. "Welcome ter Hogwarts young'un. I knew yer father. Good man deep down, sorta," Hagrid patted him on the shoulder, which made Scorpius' knees buckle, and Rose had to grab his arm to keep him upright. A glint was clearly visible in Scorpius' eyes, but it disappeared once he noticed Rose looking at him funny.

"All righ' firs' years follow me to the boats over 'ere!" Hagrid lumbered off, and a group of roughly thirty students followed behind sombrely, clearly nervous about the boat ride across the lake.

Hopping into one of the first boats, she dragged Albus and Scorpius in behind her. Surprisingly, the fourth person to fill their boat was Dominique, who seemed to have found Rose and Albus amongst everyone.

"Er hi," Dominique said, as she crawled in nervously next to Rose. The boys had taken the back bench together. Dominique tightly grabbed Rose's arm, digging her nails into it.

"I just hope this is fast, because if my hair gets wet, I will never forgive dad for not letting me side-along apparate with his friend Bradley Duke here. You know, the new Astronomy Professor? Son of the lead guitarist for the Weird Sisters? He is _dreamy_, but that's beside the point. The point is, I do _not_ want to get wet!" She nearly screamed when the boats jolted forward at this point.

Rose rolled her eyes as Albus and Scorpius chuckled behind them. Dominique hadn't even noticed the blonde boy in their boat.

After what seemed like forever, the Castle came into view. A chorus of 'oh's and 'ah's could be heard around the boats. It was exactly how their parents had described it, and Rose was growing excited.

Coming into a cave beneath the massive hill that the castle was located on, they entered an underground dock. Students filed out of the boats and waited at the bottom of a set of steps.

"Welcome first years!" came a booming male's voice. Looking up, Rose recognized someone from their parents' years at Hogwarts. Michael Corner was still as arrogant as he was in school; however he kept it on the down low, now that he was the Charms Professor, replacing Professor Flitwick when he retired seven years ago. He was also now the Deputy Head, working under the instruction of the still going Professor McGonagall. A lot of girls found him dreamy as well, and he knew that.

"Tonight you will be sorted into your new houses. And remember! Your house is your family! You will share a common room and dorms, classes and a table in the Great Hall together. Classes begin on Monday, as it is now Friday, that means you have two days to roam the castle and explore. Timetables will be passed out in the morning, so I expect no one to be late to classes on Monday. Understood?" several first years nodded their heads.

"The houses, as some of you may know, are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Throughout the year you can earn points for your house in class or outside of it. However you can also lose points for rule-breaking. The house points are tallied at the end of the year to decide who wins the House Cup!

"Now, we take the sorting very seriously here. When you enter the Great Hall, you will be brought to the front of the room, where I will call your names in alphabetical order, and you will approach the stage. There I will place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted." He smiled. "Now, I will be right back, become acquaintances with each other while I am gone, for you never know who will be in your house!"

When the Professor left, Rose turned to Albus and Scorpius, "Remember what we agreed to on the train…" she hissed. They nodded and smiled. Rose smiled back.

Only moments later, they found themselves walking through the double doors of the Great Hall. Rose stared up in awe. Her mom was right; it was exactly how _Hogwarts: A History_ described it, and even better! The stars twinkled in the midnight black sky above her, not a cloud visible.

The first years crowded around the front stage, waiting for Professor Corner to begin. As he pulled an old hat out and placed it on a stool, the first years waited for what would happen next.

The brim of the hat opened wide, and out burst a song.

'_Hogwarts students have returned  
__For another joyous year.  
__I see there's been a lot of growing up  
__and missing of friends who are dear._

_Yet here before me stands another crowd  
__That has never been here before.  
__You seem a little nervous friends  
__Let me calm you with my folklore._

_In Hogwarts, as you may seem to notice  
__There are four Houses in your sight  
__But which one shall I place you in?  
__Put me on, I'll tell you tonight._

_In Gryffindor where dwell  
__The bravest of the hearts  
__They're nerve and daring chivalry  
__Set them well apart._

_Yet you might belong to Slytherin  
__Where the cunning ones are found  
__If you are sly and quick  
__This house is where you're bound._

_To Ravenclaw might you go  
__If your mind is beyond the rest  
__Challenges await you all  
__If you dare to pass their tests._

_And last, not least, dear Hufflepuff  
__Where dwell the just and sweet  
__They're loyalty and thirst to learn  
__Make this house hard to beat._

_So put me on your head, dear friends  
__I've never been proven wrong  
__I'll place you in the house  
__Where you'll find that you'll belong.'_

Clapping was heard around the Great Hall as the hat returned to its position. Professor Corner pulled out a rolled up parchment and unravelled it.

"Bones, Wendy," was the first name to be called. As the little blonde made her way to the stool, she placed the hat on her head and grinned. She seemed confident. And the hat apparently agreed, because moments later it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and she ran to the table on the far left. Rose could see James, Victoire, Molly, Lucy, Fred and Frank all clapping amongst them. She hoped they would still clap for her even when she joined a different table.

Next was "Boot, Sarah," who became a Ravenclaw, and "Clearwater, Felicity," joined her. Then "Creevey, Jenna," became a Hufflepuff, and "Ellsworth, Mark," a Slytherin.

It took a while, but finally the Professor said, "Malfoy, Scorpius."

Scorpius smirked at Albus and Rose before approaching the stool and firmly placing the hat on his head.

His thoughts cried out '_NO!_' as he could hear the hat about to say Slytherin.

"_Not Slytherin? I think you're only the second person to ever think that to me…_' said the hat. '_But I do not like to place a person where they do not wish to be. So, hmm, let me see. There is definitely bravery in you, but loyalty is high up there as well. Then again, your mind is brimming with intelligence, like your mother_.' Scorpius beamed, '_Ah, I see you like that idea, don't you. Well, why not. A Malfoy in Ravenclaw. Unheard of, but fair._ RAVENCLAW!' he shouted for the whole Great Hall to hear.

Smiling at Albus and Rose, he made his way to the second table from the right, joining the shocked Ravenclaws, and ignoring the glares from the Slytherin table.

After only a few more students, the Professor stated, "Potter, Albus." Albus patted Rose on the shoulder, before approaching the stool and doing as the other students had, placing the hat on his head.

'_Potter, eh? I daresay you will be trouble like your older brother. No? What about brave like your mother, I see it in you. Gryffindor would do well for you. But you are also very cunning, aren't you. I see lots of talent, and a wanting to prove yourself like your father. Slytherin could make use of you. Ah, but I see you want to be different. You don't want to be like your parents or the rest of your family? And you definitely don't want to wear the color green. You must be friends with that Malfoy boy; he seemed to think the same thing. Well, better stick the oddities with each other, _RAVENCLAW!'

Albus grinned and joined Scorpius at the Ravenclaw table. His brother and cousins sat shocked at the Gryffindor table, not even able to clap until several moments had passed.

Rose glanced nervously at them. What if the hat disagreed with her? What if it wanted to put her in Gryffindor like her parents? What if Albus was _wrong_? Surely it didn't listen to everyone?

"Underwood, Ben," became a Slytherin, and "Vance, Leah," became a Gryffindor.

Dominique was sorted then. The hat barely reached her head before shouting _Gryffindor_ and she ran to join her family. James looked relieved that someone in their family made their way over there. Sure enough, she was the last person standing up front. With a name like Weasley, how could she not?

"Weasley, Rose."

Approaching the hat, she stumbled slightly, and she heard a titter cross the room. Probably at her clumsiness. Placing the hat on her head, it slid past her ears and nearly over her eyes, but never, thanks to her hair.

'_Weasley, eh? Two in one night? My am I lucky! But hang on; you're not fully Weasley, are you? No I spy Hermione Granger's blood in you. Brightest witch in her age, she was. Practically a genius!_' Rose beamed at his complimenting her mother, '_And I see you've inherited her brains! Maybe this will do you some good, don't let it get the best of you though, use them well! And yet here's your father's willingness to succeed and prove himself. But where to put you. You're definitely not a Slytherin type; I don't see it in you. And Hufflepuff is out of the question. But Ravenclaw or Gryffindor? Where is best? Follow family…or friends?'_

Rose sank. She didn't want to be in Gryffindor with her family. Not anymore, anyways. Her heart lay with Albus and Scorpius at the Ravenclaw table.

'_I see you've decided where you want to go. But are you sure it's best? Yes? Well then, _RAVENCLAW!'

Rose heaved a sigh of relief as she joined a boisterous Albus and Scorpius. At this point James and the others were looking at them in complete shock, especially noticing how friendly they were being with the blonde boy. James glared. He did not like this at all.

"Albus, I don't think your brother's very happy with us…" I said with a gulp.

Albus shrugged, "Serves him right for saying I would be in Slytherin!"

They all kept to themselves about what the hat had said to them. Almost in an unspoken way they were agreeing they had heard similar things.

"Alright students, quiet down!" They heard a voice from the front. Looking up, Rose recognized Professor McGonagall addressing them. "Welcome first years, and welcome back the rest of you lot! Before the feast begins, I have a few words. The Forbidden Forest, as always, is off limits to any student. Mr. Filch would like to remind everyone that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products are ALL banned, and if found will be confiscated." Her gaze found the Weasley's among the crowd, who grinned back innocently. "Try-outs for Quidditch teams will be held soon, within the month, depending on your House. First Hogsmeade visit will be in late October. And, as well, do not forget that some of you have OWLs and NEWTs to write this year, so keep your studying high, as much homework will be given. That's it, tuck in!" She said, and clapped her hands.

Albus and Scorpius cried with delight as the mountains of food appeared before them suddenly. The three of them and only five others were Ravenclaw first years, and they sat huddled on the end of the table. The three girls looked apprehensively at Rose, as if they didn't want to talk to her.

"I'm Felicity," said one, finally. The black haired girl held her hand out. "My mum knew your parents. Penelope Clearwater." Rose nodded as if she knew what the girl was talking about, when in reality she never. "This," she said, pointing to the brunette to her right, "is Connie Marks. Her dad was on the Chudley Cannons! And this," she said, pointing to the small blonde beside her, "is Sarah. She doesn't speak much. But you might know her dad, Terry Boot? Yeah he was in your parent's year! Anyways, we just wanted to say we hope this year will be good, and you're welcome to join us anytime. I mean, I know it's hard to make new friends. The three of us just met on the train. Oh and the two boys. That's Jacob Turpin. His mum was in your parents' year as well…and beside him is Tyler Stretton. His dad was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team years ago! Anyways, _who_ are they?" she asked, pointing to Albus and Scorpius, not even asking anything about Rose, even though it was obvious she knew who they were.

"Well _I'm_ Rose, she put in smugly. But that's my _cousin_ Albus Potter, and our _friend_ Scorpius Malfoy." Putting emphasis on _cousin _and_ friend _so she'd get the idea and back off.

The girl looked at her like Rose had an acromantula on her head or something. "Yeah right, like you're friends with that son of a Death Eater–" she was in the middle of saying, however she was interrupted.

"Albus, come _on_, James won't hate you forever. And anyways, you've got me and Rose. Stop looking at his sodden jealous arse and eat," Scorpius said, and grinned, ignoring what Felicity had said, even though he'd clearly heard every word.

"Fine Scorpius, but just because we're friends doesn't make it better. _I _might not be prejudiced against your family, but James has the Potter pride in him. He'll take to you like a cat takes to water, if you know what I mean…" Albus groaned.

Felicity glared at Rose, and turned back to Connie. However Sarah kept eye contact with Rose and smiled. At least Rose knew _someone_ liked her. Jacob and Tyler seemed in awe that they would be sharing a room with Albus and Scorpius, as they were just staring at them. Shaking her head, Rose finished off her food just in time for dessert to appear.

Once dessert had finished, she could hear Prefects designating students to their Common Rooms and giving out the new passwords and such. But Uncle Harry and his friend Luna had told Rose once about Ravenclaw tower and how you had to answer a riddle to get in. Rose knew it would be a challenge, but she relished in the thought.

Approaching the seventh floor with the boys, they parted from the Gryffindors, and made their way to the tower holding their common room.

Someone knocked once and then a voice could be heard suddenly. The first years searched for the source, only to realize it was from the eagle on the door. "_If a Centaur were to run into the woods, how far would it run in?_" it said

Albus looked confused. Scorpius turned red, as if thinking too hard. Even the prefect was having difficulty.

"Er, halfway? I mean once it surpasses halfway, it's technically running out of the woods, isn't it?" Rose piped up.

"_Correct young one_," the eagle said, seeming to smile, "_You will do well in this house! Welcome to Ravenclaw all!_" it said, before the door swung open revealing the vast room behind it.

Several people inside clapped Rose on the back, as they had heard her from inside. The circular room they stood in was quite wide. There were arched windows along the walls, where blue and bronze silk drapes hung. The painted stars on the ceiling seemed to twinkle with mirth, and they seemed to be on the midnight blue carpet as well. And in a way it was similar to Rose's house, with all the tables, wooden and comfy arm chairs, and bookcases. And directly opposite them, was the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw that her uncle had told her about.

All the first years stared in awe. The room was _beautiful_! Even Albus was shocked.

"OK first years. Like the door said, welcome to Ravenclaw. All notices will be posted henceforth on the bulletin beside the door," the prefect pointed and the students turned to look, "Your Ravenclaw attire is waiting in your rooms on your four-poster beds. The next two days can be spent exploring the Castle. Timetables will be handed out at breakfast, so you should probably attend rather than sleep in. You can attend Quidditch practise in three weeks if you wish, however keep in mind, it is rare for a first year to make the team. However, Captains attend flying lessons now, so show off, and you might get a chance!

"Anyways, up the stairs there," he pointed behind him to a plain set of stairs, "to the left are the boy's dormitories, and to the right are the girl's. Boys, don't bother trying to get in the girl's rooms, as the stairs are charmed to prevent that. However there is no such charm on the boy's, because the Headmaster _trusts_ the girls. Not really sure why though. Hmm…moving on. I'm head boy this year, Markus Burrow. Come to me if you need anything. Head girl is Gryffindor Victoire Weasley, and we're here if you need anything.

He smiled, "Now, off to bed you lot, its nearing ten o'clock."

The first years lingered a few moments, before heading up the stairs. Rose however didn't budge, her eyes glued to the enormous bookcases filled with books she'd never even hear of.

"Coming Rose?" she heard Connie ask.

"No, I'm going to explore the bookshelves first, then I'll be up to bed."

Felicity rolled her eyes, and moved upstairs. Connie hesitated at first, but followed, "Night Rose," she said, before her and Sarah moved up to the rooms.

"Don't be up too late Rose, or your mum will have a fit," Albus said from the stairway.

"Nah, she'd understand. Perhaps I'll write a letter to them to send off in the morning as well…" she said, reaching into her rucksack she found some parchment, a quill and some ink. "Perfect!"

Scorpius laughed, before dragging Albus to bed, Jacob and Tyler following behind them.

Sitting at a table, she scribbled a note to her parents.

_Dear mum and dad,_

_First day went great! I was sorted into Ravenclaw; I hope you're not upset! The hat complimented your brains mum! And said something about dad's 'willingness to succeed and wanting to prove himself' …not sure what that implies.  
__Also, I would like you to know, Albus is in Ravenclaw with me! So I'm not alone!  
__There are eight of us first years. Three other girls. One isn't very nice, that's Felicity Clearwater (Penelope Clearwater's daughter, apparently), but the other two (Connie Marks (her father is on your favourite team dad, the Canons!) and Sarah Boot (her dad was Terry Boot, supposedly in your year) seem OK.  
__The boys consist of Albus, of course, then Jacob Turpin (apparently his mum was in your year), Tyler Stretton (his dad was a chaser on the Ravenclaw team when you guys were in school) and Scorpius Malfoy – you know him.  
__Before anyone says anything, dad, Albus and I are friends with Scorpius.  
__There, now get mad and get it over with, I expect the steam to blow off by Christmas when I come home.  
__The common room is just how Uncle Harry and Miss Luna described it! And I was the only one to solve the riddle to enter!  
__Anyways, classes don't start until Monday, but we get our timetables in the morning. I'll write you guys soon!  
__Tell Hugo I miss him already, and can't wait to see him!_

_Lots of Love,  
__Rose_

Rose thought this letter perfectly acceptable. Rolling it up, she placed it back in her bag, before inspecting the shelves.

They all seemed to be related to studies and such, except for a small novel section. Deciding on one, she pulled out the dull brown covered novel and looked at its cover.

On it was an odd picture, containing what looked like a dragon, a Grindylow, and a Sphinx. Tilting her head slightly, she decided to read the blurb on the back.

'_The Triwizard Tournament is a dangerous challenge that puts three witches or wizards up against certain tasks to test their magical abilities. However the most notable of all of these Tournament occurred in the year 1994-1995, where instead of the three witches and wizards competing, the Goblet of Fire haphazardly spat out a fourth name. The four champions competed in the tournament, facing harrowing tasks. However, not all stories have happy endings, and not all the champions survive this tournament._'

Rose smiled. She knew all about this story, but hearing it from someone else's point of view would be a real eye opener.

Sitting down, she pried open the slightly tattered book and began to read.

* * *

**A/N: **Sooo...like it? love it? want more of it? let me know in a lovely little thing they call _reviews_. :D


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hello my lovely readers! Here is the much anticipated second chapter of my story. I do realize this title is terrible, so everyone make a suggestion for me, and I may just put up a poll for a vote! I love doing that, and it let's readers feel involved!

Anyways, I have made a MAJOR update. From a suggestion from a reader (who I believe was correct in pointing this out) my first chapter could be split up. Knowing this was right, I have taken a large portion from the last chapter and added it to the beginning of this one. I have not edited it in any way, just moved it. So you can skip past it if you want, and I'll put in a large notice where you should take up reading it once more. Anyways, this chapter develops a relationship between Scorpius and Rose a little better, but I'm not saying why, you'll have to read! Haha!

**CHAPTER 2**

"Rose…" came a soft voice above her. However Rose did not want to open her eyes.

"Roooose?" came a second voice. Rose groaned.

"Rosie?" was the first voice again. That woke her up. Grabbing the pillow beneath her, she aimed for Albus' head.

"Toldjoo I dun wanna be called Rosie…" I said through gritted teeth.

"Well next time, go to sleep in your own bed so we don't have to wake you up ten minutes before breakfast!" Albus exclaimed.

"Ten minutes!" Rose cried. This sobered her right up. Jumping up, she ran to her room.

"How long before she realizes there's still an hour 'til breakfast?" Scorpius asked chuckling.

"Not lo–" Albus began before a cry was heard from above.

Coming down the stairs, completely dishevelled and fuming was Rose. "You toerags! There's still an hour 'til breakfast!" Her skirt was hiked up as though she'd pulled it on without thinking, and her buttons on her yellow blouse were mismatched.

"Whoa Rose, might want to fix yourself up there!" Albus grinned, however Scorpius couldn't help staring at the nice bit of thigh the girl was showing. Rose glared.

"Stop ogling, Scorpius. Or take a picture, maybe it will last longer," Scorpius blushed, and Albus looked at him bemused.

Turning around, Rose fixed her buttons with a flick of her wand and pulled her skirt back down. She also ran her wand over her hair, as the auburn locks were flying everywhere. Thank god for the little charms her mum had taught her before school.

Finally looking somewhat normal, she turned back to the pair.

"Can we just go downstairs now, before I kill you both?" she asked, and stormed past the chuckling boys.

They weren't the first Ravenclaws to arrive, however they seemed to be some of the first first year students. Which meant that for the amount of time it took them to find the Great Hall again (which, by the way, was a good half an hour) they bet it took the other students twice as long.

Sure enough when about a half an hour rolled by, some more first years strolled in, and by then there was food on the table. Yawning, Rose piled some toast on her plate, not really in the mood for anything else. So she was surprised when several sausages and an egg landed on her plate.

Groaning, she picked up a sausage and munched quietly on it.

After breakfast, a man, whom Albus pointed out as Bill Weasley's friend Professor Duke, the Astronomy Professor, and apparently Ravenclaw's new head of house, began to pass out the student timetables. Rose took hers gingerly from the good looking man, and began devouring it.

"Let's see, Defence Against the Dark Arts with Macmillan; Potions with Goldstein; Charms with Corner; Astronomy with Duke; Transfiguration with McGonagall; History of Magic with Binns; Flying with Wood; and Herbology with Nev- I mean Longbottom." Rose smiled. "Wow that's a lot. But Astronomy and Flying are only once a week, and Flying ends at Christmas unless you need more help. Monday I see double Defence first, with the Hufflepuffs, and then Herbology with the Gryffindors followed by Potions with the Hufflepuffs again and a Flying Lesson with the Slytherins. That's going to be an interesting day…"

Scorpius groaned, "At least we can find out where the classes are now. So want to go to the Owlery so you can mail your letter, and we'll take a look around?" he asked.

"Oh, yes!" Rose had completely forgotten about her letter. She pulled it out and scribbled what classes and Professors she had at the bottom. "Ready!"

The trio stood up and left the Great Hall, in an attempt to find the Owlery. Nearly an hour later they were panting amongst the softly hooting owls.

"Merlin's pants, I never thought we'd find this place!" Albus exclaimed, doubled over and heaving.

"Where's my owl…?" Rose said, glancing around before finally finding the scrawny pigmy owl just like her father's deceased owl Pig, and she had named him accordingly.

"Hey Hogsworth, my little Hoggy!" she said, petting him before tying on the letter to his leg and giving him a discarded owl pellet. "Good boy, now bring this to mum and dad." The little owl took off then, leaving Rose watching 'til it disappeared.

"OK, now to find out where our classes will be. Let's see, Greenhouse One for Herbology is an easy one, let's try that?" Albus groaned to Scorpius' request, but complied.

Sure enough, ten minutes found them outside the greenhouse. Dominique was there with a few other Gryffindor first years.

"Well if it isn't my two traitor cousins," she said, but Rose knew she was joking from the smile on her face. "Herbology on Mondays together, eh? Should be fun," she laughed.

It took a moment for the three girls beside her to agree, as they were openly staring wide-eyed at the boys. Dominique rolled her eyes.

"Is that what guys look like when they look at me?" she asked, before noticing Scorpius slightly ogling her in the same fashion, "I take that as a yes…"

Rose smacked Scorpius upside the head, bringing him back to earth. He glared playfully at her for a moment, but all was well.

"Anyways, we're off to find our other classes, bye guys!" she said, dragging the three girls with her.

"Oh Dominique, what would we do without you?" Albus asked sarcastically. "Anyways, want to try for the Potions room? It's only one floor down; we can worry about upstairs after.

Finding the entrance to the dungeons was a little difficult, but eventually they found the stairs in the Entrance Hall. Two Slytherin first years lingered outside the Potions room, and proceeded to sneer at Scorpius.

"Bugger off wankers," Rose told them off. They glared at her, before retreating further into the dungeons. Rose smiled.

"OK, so two down, six to go. Well Flying is obviously on the grounds, no need to go looking for that. And Astronomy is in the Astronomy Tower. Charms classroom is on the third floor. Defence is on the first, and so is History of Magic. And Transfiguration is on the fourth floor. I suppose we'll check out the first floor first." said Scorpius.

Making their way around the castle, it was lunch time by the time they found everything.

"I am wiped! And sooo hungry!" Albus said, eating the food before he could even get it to his plate.

"Me too," said Scorpius, shoving some steak and kidney pie on his plate.

Rose rolled her eyes before grabbing several sandwich triangles and some potato salad.

…

It was Monday morning and Rose was rubbing sleep out of her eyes quite early in her four poster bed. That had been the first night sleeping in it for her, as the last two she had fallen asleep reading in the Common Room.

Getting up, she pulled on the black skirt belonging with the uniform and buttoned it on top. She pulled it up higher than her hips so it wouldn't be so long (past her knees) as she wasn't very tall. Then she pulled on a frilly light blue tank-top to wear under her white blouse. After she was dressed she adjusted her new Ravenclaw tie around her neck. Sadly, she was useless at tying it, so with a couple flicks of her wand later, the tie was done up. Another of her mother's charms.

She loved the look of the Ravenclaw tie, with its solid midnight blue background and bronze stripes. Silently she thanked Albus and Scorpius that she hadn't ended up in Gryffindor, red and gold would clash with her hair. Horribly so.

Pulling on her robes, she shoved her brand new Defence, Potions and Herbology books into her rucksack. The books may have been new, but if you looked closely, you'll see that the spine was broken. Rose had taken to reading all her books over the holidays.

Her gut wrenched, knowing there would be a Flying Lesson today, but she ignored it. Sure she had played Quidditch with the family, but she was more like her mom in this sense. Her feet belonged on the ground.

Grabbing her wand, and flinging the rucksack over her shoulder, she exited the room, leaving the three sleeping girls behind her. _It must be fairly early…_ she thought.

She was the only person in the Great Hall, and breakfast hadn't even been served yet, so she decided to read some more of the Defence book before the double period this morning.

When she was several chapters in, Albus and Scorpius finally graced her with their presence. By this point there was food on the table, but Rose hadn't even noticed.

"You eaten yet?" Albus asked.

"Nope…actually, hadn't even noticed the food was there…this book is so easy to get caught up in you know?" Albus rolled his eyes, "And besides, I was waiting for you guys."

Grabbing a saucer, she began to fill it with porridge, but loaded it with several spoonfuls of brown sugar and a heaping of maple syrup.

"You see mate, that will keep her awake after the little sleep she had the weekend," Albus said, snorting and pointing at her meal. Scorpius laughed while Rose rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time since she'd arrived at Hogwarts.

Grabbing their things, they made their way to the first floor, where they knew the Defence room was. A couple of Hufflepuffs seemed to follow in their wake, but they didn't mind.

The day passed along quickly, with Rose showing fast how much she was like her mother, trying to answer every question. Yet no one complained, as she earned many points for Ravenclaw.

Finally it was time for their flying lesson. Rose gulped. This was the one thing she did not look forward to.

The Ravenclaws marched down the steps, and headed where they could see a woman standing with a bunch of brooms laid on the ground beside her, most of the Slytherins had already arrived. And there were two much older students standing on either end of the lines, obviously here to observe for Quidditch.

Once all of the students seemed to have arrived, Professor Wood smiled.

"Hello class, my name is Professor Katie Wood, if you didn't already know. Today is your first flying lesson. Now, I'm not the best at teaching, but Professor McGonagall is giving me a shot, seeing as how I used to be a chaser for Gryffindor." The Slytherins groaned, while the Ravenclaws listened intently. "OK class, approach the brooms and let's get started!"

Everyone stood next to a broom. The one by Rose's feet was already twitching with excitement it seemed, yet no one else's seemed to be moving. Odd.

"Now students, put your right hand over your broom," called Professor Wood, "and say 'Up!'"

Rose did as she was told, and was surprised when hers shot straight into her hand. Albus' had seemingly floated up into his and Scorpius' made a jagged ascent upwards into his. But at least theirs didn't meet the same fate as Felicity's. Hers had swung up and beat her on the back of the head. Even Sarah had an easier time than she did.

"OK, now for those whose brooms didn't respond, just pick them up. Right. Now we'll mount them." The Professor rounded about the lines and showed everyone how to mount without falling off. Rose was shaking at this point. "Just like your mum…" the Professor said to her, smiling. Rose smiled back tentatively once mounted.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, I want you to kick off from the ground. Hard as you can," she began to the rest of the class, "Keep yourself steady, rise up several feet, not too high, tilt forwards and come back down. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good, three – two – one – " With that she blew the whistle.

Several brooms shot in the air, but Rose's lifted calmly as if she was meant to fly, and Rose didn't like that. Albus had a bit of a shaky start, even though he'd been riding for years. Must be the broom. Even Scorpius jolted upwards.

Once Rose was high enough, she tilted forwards and landed back down perfectly. Professor Wood was eyeing her, as if she'd never seen anything like it.

Instantly the Professor approached her. "It's odd, you see. Your mother may have given you her fear, but you seem to have the Weasley flying skills in you. I haven't seen flying like that since Harry Potter joined the Quidditch team in my second year. Maybe you should try out next year Rose." Rose grimaced.

The Ravenclaw Captain beamed at her, "Yes! I bet you'd fit right in!"

Albus didn't seem to like this much. When he touched down, all he could do was glare at Rose. Rose shrunk back, not meaning to have made him angry. Scorpius looked torn between the two.

When the lesson ended, Albus left Scorpius and Rose behind, rushing to the castle. Tears threatened to spill from Rose's eyes, and Scorpius looked at her sympathetically.

"I don't even like flying…" she said to him quietly. "S'not my fault, not like I tried to do better. It just happened."

"I know Rose, give him time to cool off," Scorpius said in return.

Rose groaned as they made their way to the castle. This was going to be a long day.

…

"I'm sorry Albus! I swear I didn't do it on purpose! You know I hate flying!"

"Well next time, try not to do so good, OK? Pretty bad when _his own son_ can't even be compared to him. But his niece? Whom he's not even blood related to? Sure let's compare them!" Albus scowled and turned back to his dinner.

"Albus, come on man. You know Rose better than I do. And even I know she would never purposely upstage someone like that…" Scorpius said to his friend.

Albus glared at Scorpius, "Fine take her side! You know what; I should have just let that damned hat put me in Gryffindor where I belong! If I had known my cousin was going to put me down like that, and have my friend take her side, I never would have joined Ravenclaw in the first place! I'd have probably even preferred Slytherin!" Albus stood and left the Great Hall.

Rose was crying now. She and Albus had never fought like this, and it greatly upset her. Scorpius did his best to comfort her, but there was only so much a boy could do.

Suddenly a tall leggy blonde wrapped her arms around Rose. Scorpius was confused, but Rose seemed to know her. Overall the girl was gorgeous, but Scorpius had no idea who she was. Yet somehow, she looked familiar.

"Oh Victoire…" of course, Dominique's older sister, "… he-he hates me! And I didn't even mean to!" Rose cried in the blonde's arms.

"Shh Rose, it'll be OK, Albus just needs to blow off some steam. He'll get over it eventually…just let it all blow over, it'll be fine…" Victoire was rubbing Rose's back as she sobbed in front of everyone. Then she turned to little blonde boy. "Scorpius, right?" He nodded, "Would you mind taking her up to your tower, I'd hate for her to make more of a scene in front of everyone." Scorpius nodded again, and grabbed Rose, hauling her from the bench. "That's a good girl, go get some sleep."

Scorpius nearly had to drag Rose all the way to Ravenclaw Tower, which was difficult, seeing as how it was on the seventh floor.

Finally they made it to the door, where Scorpius knocked once.

'_What does man love more than life  
Fear more than death or mortal strife  
What the poor have, the rich require,  
and what contented men desire,  
What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves  
And all men carry to their graves?_'

Scorpius was stunned. He had no clue what the answer was, and really couldn't think straight.

"N-nothing…" said Rose beside him, between her sniffs.

"What?" asked Scorpius.

"Man loves nothing more than life. And fears nothing more than death or mortal strife. The poor have nothing, and the rich require nothing. Contented men desire nothing, the miser spends nothing, and the spendthrift saves nothing. And men carry nothing to their graves…"

"_Correct Miss Weasley! Sharp on your toes as always I see!_" came the Eagle's voice before the door swung open.

"Rose, I don't know how you do it, but thanks!" he said, dragging her inside by her sleeve. "Look I'll talk to Albus; you just go to bed, OK?"

Rose nodded, and then headed up the stairs for the long night ahead.

_**READ HERE**_

…

Turns out, Albus didn't want to talk to Scorpius. In fact, Rose and Scorpius hadn't been able to hold a civil conversation with him for nearly two months now, and it was Halloween.

Rose had tried everything, even convinced James to sneak out through an old tunnel to Honeydukes to buy him some chocolate, but to no avail.

He sat as far away from the pair as he could, which upset Rose even more. Scorpius did his best to console her, but knew it was on a dead ear that he was comforting.

"Look Rose, the big Halloween feast is tonight, at least try and be a bit happy. Albus is bound to forgive you eventually. I mean you're his _best mate_ not me. If he has to forgive anyone, it's you. I mean it's hard enough sharing a room with someone who only glares at you. And the other two follow suit, pretending they're Albus' best friends," Scorpius huffed.

"Fine. I'll lighten up. But only for the feast. After that, I'm gloomy Rose again." Wiping her nose on a napkin, Rose sniffed one last time, and placed a somewhat decent smile on her face. "Happy enough for you?"

Scorpius grinned, "Perfect."

Classes flew past. Having Double Charms, then Herbology followed by Double Transfiguration. Overall it was a good day. Scorpius remained her partner in everything, while Albus paired up with anyone else that he could.

As the feast approached, Rose could actually feel herself feeling _truly_ happy. She'd earned a whopping fifty points today for Ravenclaw, a new record! Even more than her mum had ever earned for Gryffindor. In Charms, she had been the only one able to levitate the feather; her match had turned shiny silver and was slightly pointed at one end in Transfiguration. Not the needle she had intended, but the best in the class. And Neville had given her extra points for recalling that Devil's Snare was used in an attempt to guard the Philosopher's Stone during his time at Hogwarts.

Scorpius patted her on the head. "Now that's a good girl. See, it isn't _so_ hard, now is it?"

Rose smiled.

When they entered the Great Hall, pumpkins carved into Jack-o-Lanterns hung midair above the tables, which were lined heavily with food and sweets all along their length. Rose and Scorpius stared in awe. Grabbing a spot at the Ravenclaw table, they began filling their plates. Rose was intent on eating the massive amounts of chicken wings and some potato crisps. She also had some steamed vegetables followed by a slab of marble cheesecake.

"If I eat any more, I'll explode!" Rose cried. However she grabbed her sack and filled it with sweets for later. Scorpius laughed, but did the same.

Suddenly the doors of the Great Hall burst open, and in stormed Hagrid, who lumbered all the way to the Head Table. "Er, Professor McGonagall, we got ourselves a problem!" he said none too quietly.

"Yes Hagrid? What is it?" Professor McGonagall asked sombrely.

"Some creatures gon' an' scared the Acromantula from the forest an' thur swarmin' the castle," he said, going pale. As did McGonagall.

"Oh my, we better get students back to their dormitories at once…Prefects! Heads! Lead the students back to the Common Rooms immediately. There's a situation, and all students must make their way to their dormitories!"

Students near the front were panicking, they had heard what Hagrid said, and it travelled the length of the tables. Rose stared blankly ahead. Spiders? Now this was something she had inherited from her father. An intense fear of arachnids.

Scorpius all but dragged Rose to her feet, and she grabbed her rucksack so as not to leave it behind. "Come on Rose! We've got to get to Ravenclaw tower!"

"Wait! Where's Albus! I haven't seen him since class!" Rose exclaimed.

"Oh, Albus? Last I checked he had detention cleaning the potion storage cupboard in the dungeons," Jacob said from behind her.

This was all Rose needed to hear, and she took off. If Albus was in the dungeons, then he surely hadn't heard of the Acromantula. Getting to the Entrance Hall, she forced herself down the stairs before the Slytherins had even arrived and ran the length of the corridor.

Scorpius ran behind her, the girl was nuts! Surely Albus would know what was going on when the Slytherins ran down. Did she have to go looking for him?

When they reached the storage cupboard he was no where in sight, he must have finished his detention and headed upstairs. Running back to the Entrance Hall, Rose ran smack into James.

"Oi! Rose! Bugger, watch where you're running! No need to panic!" James said, rubbing his nose.

"James! Where's that damned map of yours…" Rose said hastily.

"The map? In my sack, why?"

"Let me see it!" Rose cried, reaching for James rucksack and tearing it open. Pointing her wand at it, she muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Scorpius was confused, it was just a blank piece of parchment, how was this a map? However when she said those last words, he understood.

Words began appearing, but she took no heed – while Scorpius looked at it in awe – ripping the pages open and searching it desperately. Finally she found what she was looking for. There, wandering the second floor was Albus Potter. Muttering "Mischief Managed", she handed the now blank parchment back to James, grabbed Scorpius' wrist and ran.

"Come on Scorpius! He's alone in the corridor, if he gets attacked, I'll never forgive myself!"

Running they made their way to the second floor, and like Rose said, it was nearly empty, save one soul.

"Albus!" Rose cried in a panic, and ran for the boy.

"Rose…" he replied stonily. "Scorpius."

"Albus, we've got to get to Ravenclaw tower now! Something's gone and scared the acromantula out of the forest, and they're making their way to the castle!"

Albus looked blankly at her, "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Would _I_ joke about bloody spiders in the castle Albus?" she huffed.

"No, I guess you have a point, let's go!" he said, turning to Scorpius. However Scorpius had a look of fear on his face.

"It's a little late for that," he whispered, pointing behind them.

Turning there were hundreds of football to small car sized spiders heading their way. Rose was unable to move, frozen out of fear.

Albus grabbed her and pulled. "This way!" he cried, dragging himself and Rose in the other direction, and Scorpius following behind. Rose could hear Scorpius' shouts of _Arania Exumai_ and blinding lights were filling the hall.

Rose felt herself thrown through a door and against a wall, and a muttering of '_Colloportus_' made the door seal. Looking around, the boys could see they were in a girl's loo, that hadn't been frequented in a while.

"Hey!" Albus cried, "This is Moaning Myrtle's toilet!"

Scorpius grinned. "Out of all the places to lock us in Al…" shaking his head, he looked at the door.

Slams could be heard from the other side, as the spiders attempted to enter the room, but it was no use. The door held its own.

Rose was crying from fear now. She now understood why she would never make a good Gryffindor. Her fear had locked her in place, not a smidgeon of bravery in her.

"Hey Rose, shh, it'll be OK," Scorpius soothed her, wrapping his arms around her small frame.

Rose just wanted to be in her four poster bed, and being stuck in this bathroom was not her cup of tea.

Sniffing, she wiped at her tears. "I'm – I'm fine," she lied.

"Liar," said Albus, as if reading her mind. "You're more afraid of spiders than your father was, and I know that. Pretending to be brave doesn't do you any good Rose."

Rose glared at him. "Don't talk to me Albus; I've done fine without you these last two months. I think I can deal."

Albus looked hurt. "You don't mean that, do you Rose? I was upset over something so stupid, and I don't even know why I was upset. I guess I was jealous, OK? Jealous, that I was beaten by a _girl_, my own cousin and friend. I'm not used to that, OK. Everyone's allowed to be jealous. Remember when I won that case of Filibuster's Fireworks? And you wouldn't talk to me for a week? Remember that? But you forgave me, and all was well? Why can't you do the same now?" he was pleading, his eyes showed it.

Rose grumbled. On one hand, he _was_ her best mate, on the other, he had abandoned her over something so stupid.

"Fine…" she said quietly, "I forgive you."

Albus grinned, and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Now that everyone has made up, how in the name of Merlin are we getting out of here?" Scorpius asked.

Looking around, Rose grinned.

"Hey, Myrtle!"

Turning, the boys saw the figure of a girl stream through the second stall's doors.

"Myrtle, do you think you could find us a Professor so we can get out of here? The acromantula won't hurt you. You can use your ectoplasmic skills to find one and tell him what's going on!" Rose said.

Myrtle seemed to hesitate, until her eyes rested on Albus. "Hey, I recognize you both, but last time the two of you were in this bathroom, there was a duel, and you," she pointed at Scorpius, "Were nearly killed. But wait, no you look different. Both of you do. And that had to be more than twenty years ago! Surely you'd have aged…unless…"

"Are you talking about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy?" Rose asked, "Because if so, then those are their sons!"

Myrtle squealed. "Oh how you look so much like them! And yet more handsome…hmm…promise to visit me if I find you a Professor?" she asked.

Albus hesitated, but Rose eyed him. "Yeah, of course Myrtle. Any time!" he rushed. Scorpius grinned in agreement.

"Wonderful! I'll go find someone now!" and with that, Myrtle disappeared through the wall.

Rose laughed. Full laughter from deep within. "I'd forgotten about her!" she cried, "My dad told me that when your father's were in school, she had huge crushes on them! Especially your dad Albus! Oh that was priceless!"

Scorpius grumbled and Albus glared at her. "Oh shut it!" he said.

Nearly an hour later, they could see light streams from under the crack in the door, and then the door burst open.

"Potter? Malfoy? You in here! Ah, there you are! And Rose, too, I see! Myrtle never mentioned you…oh well. Good to see your safe!"

Professor Duke entered the loo they had been hiding out in. "Good thing you managed to get yourselves in here, who knows what could have happened! Now explain yourselves as to why you're not in your dormitories where everyone else is…"

"Well you see Professor…" Rose was about to recount what had happened, when she changed her mind, "Scorpius and I got separated from the group, and Albus came looking for us. Mind you, we ran into those dreadful spiders, and we had to run in here for safety. Scorpius and Albus did some wonderful wand-work too with that '_Arania Exumai_' spell; I was too scared to even get my wand out! Then we sent Myrtle looking for a Professor!"

"Very well then, for the getting off course, minus five points for each of you," he pointed to Scorpius and Rose, "However, for the wand-work, ten points each," he pointed to Albus and Scorpius, "And five for thinking on your feet with Myrtle Miss Weasley. Now I'll escort you to the dormitories, some spiders are still loose."

They made it back to Ravenclaw tower unscathed, and their newly re-instated friendships remained. Knocking once on the door, the riddle sounded.

'_If I were to tell you that everything I said was a lie_

_Would this be the truth? Or would I be lying as we speak?_'

"And this is why I hate being in Ravenclaw…" Albus groaned. The Professor had left at this point, and Scorpius looked uninterested.

"Honestly! It's obviously a lie! It couldn't be a truth, or he would be contradicting himself then, wouldn't he? But just because it's a lie, doesn't mean that everything he says is true. It could just mean that _some_ things he says are lies. Am I right?"

'_Correct!_' came the voice of the eagle as the door opened.

"From now on, I'm making sure you're with me to answer the riddle Rose, I got so many wrong when we were fighting. I spent several nights in the corridor, not knowing how to answer." Albus looked relieved that she had been able to answer.

"Oh hush, the past is the past; now get inside before my knees give out on me here. After seeing those spiders, I'm amazed I can even walk!"

Entering the common room, they found their roommates plus several prefects and Head Boy Markus Burrow waiting. Everyone else seemed to have gone to bed.

"Thank GOD!" exclaimed Markus. "We thought you were all dead!"

"Nice job keeping your cool '_Mr. Head Boy_'," exclaimed a boy seemingly in sixth year.

"Anyways," Markus continued, glaring at the boy, "Where were you three? We saw you never returned and we've been waiting for nearly two hours! Thought the acromantula had gotten you for sure!"

"Well, this one here," Scorpius pointed to Albus, "Was late getting to the feast thanks to a detention. So we," he said, pointing to himself and Rose, "Decided to make sure he didn't get his sorry arse killed by the giant spiders. However we ran into a lot of them, and had to hide out in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, until we sent her to find a Professor. Luckily Professor Duke found us, and got us safely back here."

Markus seemed to find this an acceptable answer, considering he nodded and smiled. "OK, s'long as your not dead on my watch, I'm happy. Now off to bed you lot, before a Professor checks on us all!"

Everyone scrambled to get to their beds; however Rose, Albus and Scorpius lingered behind.

Albus looked at the two of them, "Thanks guys…" he said.

"You would do the same for us Al," Scorpius said.

Rose said nothing, but pulled Albus in for a bone crunching hug. She noticed Scorpius standing idly aside, so she pulled him in too.

"Ah group hugs! Now we're all good…NIGHT!" and with that, Rose skipped off to the dormitories.

* * *

**A/N: **I trust you all enjoyed this chapter and it's newest developments. Now I warn you ahead of time, this story does have points in it where it skips large periods of time as the main part of the story is actually supposed to occur in sixth or seventh year, not really sure which will be more important just yet. So if you're reading and it suddenly skips a month or two, or a full year, don't worry. You're not going crazy, it's all part of my plan, and I'm sorry if I piss you off because of it, but otherwise my story would take forever, so I just show key points over the five years leading up to the main storyline.

Anyways, expect another chapter before the week is out, I hope. If not, Sunday at the latest.

Read, Love and Review :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry about this odd update...and it's inconsistency but if I didn't, it would only be about 1000 words long, and I would hate myself doing that to you guys :). Also, my other story that I have posted is terrible, I might just scrap it entirely and start from scratch! But my Katie/Oliver story will hopefully come through. It's pretty terrible right now, but I've barely edited it.

Anyways, here's terrible chapter three.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

Rose looked warily at the train before her. She didn't want to go home for Christmas just yet, she had been having too much fun with the boys. Albus was already saving her and Scorpius seats, while they dealt with his things.

Running on the train, Rose dragged Scorpius behind her by his wrist. She hadn't noticed he'd wriggled his arm, so that she was holding his hand instead.

A lot of people could tell that Scorpius liked Rose a little more than he should, but he kept everything platonic. _For goodness sake, I'm only twelve; I can't like someone like that! No way!_ he thought. But even Albus could notice after the two months he had left them alone together, they had grown steadily closer. Albus cursed himself for letting Rose wriggle her way into those loopholes she had discovered back in September.

Now on the train, Rose and Scorpius searched for Albus. It took a good ten minutes, but they finally found him alone in a compartment.

Sitting down, Rose pulled out a neat little book that she had nicked from the tower.

"Hey! I saw that in the common room! Our little Rose is turning into a thief Al!" Scorpius cried, pointing at her novel.

"I'm not a _thief_; I simply _borrowed_ it…without asking…" Rose stuck her tongue out.

"I think we're making an impression on her Scorp!" Albus said, laughing.

"Oh shove off," she retorted lamely, glaring at the boys.

…

Rose was nearing the end of her book, and the boys were in a heated discussion about the last Ravenclaw game versus Slytherin.

"But did you see that Bletchley kid on a broom? I mean it was ridiculous! He can't fly for beans. Thank God he is graduating this year, so Ravenclaw might have a chance once we join the team, right Al?" Albus nodded, Scorpius smiled. "I think I might go for Chaser. I mean I'm rubbish at Seeking, and Keeper isn't my thing. Beater would be OK, but I don't think those two are graduating just yet. What about you Al? I hear Seeker will be open?"

"Yeah, I think I'll have a go. I mean I'm small and quick like my dad, and I've been pretty good during family games!" Albus replied.

Rose turned to the boys, happy they weren't suggesting she try out like they had been suggesting for the last two months. "Al, you're almost better than your dad. Everyone in the family says so. You should have done something outrageous in Flying Lessons; maybe McGonagall could have spotted you like your dad."

"Yeah, but that chances getting caught by another Professor. And plus, Seeker wasn't open this year…" Albus frowned.

"Well whatever," Rose looked out the window. "I see King's Cross up ahead…" she said absentmindedly.

"Aw, already?" asked Scorpius. Rose nodded.

"You'll write to us, won't you Scorp?" Rose asked with a pleading pout on her face. Scorpius laughed.

"Of course I will Rose. A letter for Albus, and a letter for Rose. Every day if I can!" Scorpius smiled.

"Good, because we plan to write back, don't we Al?" Albus nodded.

Grabbing their things, they prepared for the exit off the train. Rose gave Scorpius one last hug before descending the steps onto the platform.

The three turned to look for their families. It wasn't hard to spot the Weasley's, a big sea of red amongst everything. However it took Scorpius a moment to find the blonde heads of his parents. Finally he spotted Draco and Astoria Malfoy a little off to the side. He waved at Albus and Rose before joining them.

Albus and Rose turned back to their family. Hermione wriggled through the crowd and reached her daughter first.

"Look at my Rosie! Oh how I missed you!" she squealed, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Muuuum!" she groaned. "Argh!" Hermione laughed.

It was then Rose noticed her father was not amongst the family. Nor was Uncle Harry. "Where's dad?" she inquired.

"They got held up at work, but your dad will be home in time for dinner. We're spending Christmas at the Burrow this year starting tomorrow. However we'll spend the last two days of the Holidays at home, OK sweetie?" she asked, a knowing look in her eye.

Hermione knew Rose wanted to get home to her mum's famous library. Hermione had been collecting books since she was able to read them, and now had an overly large room filled with them.

"OK mum," Rose agreed.

Rose also managed to find her brother, hiding away with Lily behind their parents.

"Hey squirts! Missed me?" she asked, giving her brother's hair a ruffle.

"Ah man, you again?" Hugo asked sarcastically, trying to fix his hair while Lily snickered.

"Har har bro, very funny. How you doing Lily?"

"Great, actually! Dad taught me how to do the Wronsky Feint in Quidditch! I've been waiting for years for that! And now that both the prats are gone, dad's all mine!" she squealed with delight. Great, now the whole Potter family was going to be involved in Quidditch. Rose could see the Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor matches now. Her family would be torn, but they would surely cheer Gryffindor.

"Anyways, how's Ravenclaw?" Lily asked.

"It's great actually! I love going to the Common Room. Instead of a password, you have to answer a riddle. It's funny, because Albus and Scorpius only get them right every now and then, but I haven't gotten one wrong yet!"

"Scorpius? As in Scorpius Malfoy?" Hugo asked. "Didn't dad say to stay away from him?"

"No…he said don't get _too friendly_…which is different…" Rose grinned at her genius thinking. Lily chuckled nervously.

"Yeah but you _know_ dad, he's going to have a fit…" Hugo warned.

"I told him and mom ages ago, so I'm not too worried…He should have calmed by now…"

"Oh is _that_ why he was so upset after your first letter? He broke three vases and nearly killed your owl. If it wasn't for mum…" Hugo trailed off.

"Has he broken anything since? Or been more irrational than usual lately?" Rose inquired.

"Actually…no. He's been pretty fine. I just thought he was upset over the Ravenclaw bit," Hugo contemplated the idea.

"Well we'll see how angry he really is later won't we?" Rose smiled just as Aunt Ginny and her mum turned back to them, telling them it was time to go.

With one last glance in the direction that Scorpius had trailed off in, Rose followed dutifully behind her family, a little nervous about the next two weeks.

…

Draco Malfoy was frowning as his son approached him. "Scorpius…" he said waringly, not wanting to upset his son the moment he had gotten back.

But Scorpius beat him to the punch. "Yes dad, that was Albus Potter and Rose Weasley. And yes, like I said in my letter, we're friends. And no, you can't hate them until you get to know them. Got it?"

Draco looked at his son for a moment before smiling.

"You should know better son. All I was going to say was watch out for _their_ family. I happen to know Ron Weasley, her father, still doesn't like me much. We are civil towards each other, but that doesn't stop him from hating me for things I did in the past."

Scorpius smiled.

"I have no problem with you being friends with them. Perhaps someday you can invite them and the other kids for a scrimmage? Perhaps a game of Quidditch? Daresay there are enough kids for two teams by now…"

The boy's grin grew, "Seriously dad?" he asked. Draco nodded. "Thanks!" he cried out, before hugging his father, which Draco accepted warmly.

Draco had changed since the war. With his father in Azkaban, and his mother now helping out at St. Mungo's in her free time, Draco had grown away from old prejudices. Especially working as an auror. He's had to put his prejudices aside, as it involved working with muggle-borns and half-bloods. He also spent a great deal of time with his son and his sister-in-law's daughters, so really he'd changed into a big softy over the years.

But something about Ronald Weasley still set him off, and he couldn't help returning some of those nasty looks that were thrown his way half the time.

Potter and Granger he could get along with. Even that Ginny girl. But Ron? Draco didn't think it would ever be normal between them. But for now, he could deal with it. Possibly.

Guiding his son by the shoulder, they made their way to a more secluded spot where Draco held his son tightly then apparated back to their manor.

…

"Rose…I can't believe you would go behind my back and ignore everything I said to you in September!" Ron Weasley said, surprisingly calm to his daughter before him.

"I didn't ignore what you said dad, I just…found loopholes?" Rose offered.

Ron looked like he was about to blow a gasket, yet not a sound came from him. Finally the red in his face lessened. "Rose…I always knew you would turn out like your mother." Shaking his head, he sighed and hugged his daughter.

Rose beamed, proud to be Hermione Granger's daughter. Hugo just groaned, as he had hoped Rose would get into big trouble.

How Ron was able to control his emotions amazed Hermione. The older woman stood in the doorway to the sitting room, arms folded leaning against the frame, her brown hair, still curly, fell in ringlets around her aged face as she watched her husband and children.

Laughing, Hermione entered the room and slung an arm around her husband. "Good boy," she coddled. He grumbled, but wrapped his arm around his wife's waist nonetheless. "Well kids, better get to bed. We're making our way to the Burrow tomorrow morning for Christmas Eve."

Rose was still smiling when she went to bed that night, and her mother noticed. Even as an eleven year old, she still loved being tucked in at night, so Hermione followed her elder daughter to her room and pulled the blankets up to Rose's chin. "Good night my girl," she said sweetly as Rose's eyes drifted closed.

…

"ROSE! Get your lazy arse out of bed! Present time!"

Rose rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Looking around the room, she took in her surroundings. The midnight blue curtains that hung from her four poster bed in her Ravenclaw dorm were pushed back.

"Whuzzhappen-n?" she said sleepily, closing her eyes again.

"It's your birthday, and we're not letting you sleep in any later!" she could hear Felicity cry out fuzzily.

Rose opened her eyes again. The other second years in the room were beaming down on her from their standing positions.

"What time is it anyways?" she groaned.

"Six, now get up, the end of your bed is covered with presents, and I'm curious to see what the big gold one is!" Ah. Now it all makes sense.

Over the last year, Rose had grown a little closer with the Ravenclaw girls, but still couldn't wrap her head around their ringleader Felicity. It seemed she was just as in awe of Albus and Scorpius as the Jacob and Tyler had been at first (thankfully they'd grown out of that stage now!), in fact, she sometimes hinted as to how 'cute they were'. Her words, not mine. And how I should hook her up with them. _For Merlin's sake, she's only 12! I'm not helping her in those departments, she shouldn't even be thinking about that stuff! _That's pretty much the only reason the girl tolerated Rose hanging out with Sarah and Connie, and sometimes herself.

Sitting up, Rose was surprised to see the enormous pile on the end of her bed. It was nearly double the amount of last years! She gaped.

"Woah!" Rose exclaimed as she clambered to the end of her bed, spying 'from' names of the likes of Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, Victoire and Teddy, Uncle Charlie, and more! Even some from other students and friends of the family. "I'm only thirteen, not like I came of age or something…" she grumbled to herself. "I don't need this many presents…"

Felicity looked at the pile. You could tell she was unhappy about something, but Rose let it slide.

Pulling up the first one, she saw it was from her Uncle George and Aunt Angelina. Opening it, she wasn't surprised to see a pile of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products. As well as a cute little charm bracelet (she suspected this was added by her Aunt).

By the end of her haul, she found she had several new outfits (including a beautifully knit Ravenclaw scarf with her initials on it from Nana Weasley), lots of books (mostly from her mother), a multi-purpose pocket knife (from her father), a new pair of shoes (from her Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy), a cool organizer (from her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry), and a very delicate looking necklace (from Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill). Even James and his friends sent her some charms to go on her new bracelet – Aunt Angelina must have told James about her gift. The second last gift was from Albus, who had given her a pair of Keeper gloves.

Rose glared at the gloves. Albus and Scorpius were still trying to her to join the team, as they had both tried out and made the team this year, Albus as the new Seeker, and Scorpius, a chaser. But Rose still refused to try out, especially after Flying Lessons in first year. She had hid in a storage closet until try-outs were over so she wouldn't be forced to try-out. The new Keeper was a seventh year, so she would graduate this year, and Albus and Scorpius are practically going to force her to try out. Rose groaned.

The last present was the large square golden one. Looking at the label, she was surprised to see it was from Scorpius.

Opening it, she found a box with large air-holes in it. Looking inside was possibly the cutest kitten she had seen in her entire life, looking somewhat like a white fluffy cotton ball. The stamp on the box read _British Longhair_, but that didn't matter to Rose.

The girls 'ooh'-ed and 'ah'-ed at the kitten, whom Rose let out of the box. Felicity's glare only intensified.

"Aww he's so cute Rose! Who is it from?" asked Connie.

"Scorpius!" Rose said surprised.

"Boy or girl?" asked Sarah.

Looking at the box, it was labelled '_Female'_, "Girl." Rose announced.

"Aw what are you going to name her?" asked Connie.

Rose thought for a moment. "I think…_Felis_ after the old constellation? Professor Duke was talking about just before Christmas. I think it's cute…Stands for Cat in Latin."

Felicity looked at Rose apprehensively. "You would use such a _stupid_ name on such an adorable cat? _What a waste!_" she spat.

Rose winced. This was not starting out to be a good day.

"Well I think it's _adorable_," said Sarah, and Connie nodded in agreement.

"Fine then, if you think that, go right ahead and continue being little miss priss' friends, 'cause frankly, I can't stand being around you guys any longer," and with that, Felicity stormed off.

Connie looked torn for a moment, before giving Rose a look as if begging her to understand, and sidling off after Felicity. Sarah, however, stayed by Rose's side.

"I never liked Felicity very much, anyways," she said, grinning.

…

"Scorpius!" Rose cried out in the Common Room, as she saw him leaving through the door.

He turned and when he saw Rose he beamed. "Happy birthday Rose!"

A chorus of 'Happy Birthdays!' went around the room, and Rose blushed. Catching up with him they exited Ravenclaw tower together.

"How dare you give me such an expensive gift! Especially after the travesty I gave you last year!" Rose pouted. Back in September of the previous year, Rose was short on time for getting Scorpius a gift, as his birthday was only a few days into their friendship (his birthday was on the ninth). So she had scrambled together a poster of his favourite Quidditch team – the Tornadoes – and managed to find some Smart-Answer Quills, thanks to her mother. It was quite lame, but Rose had made up for it though, by getting him tickets to the Quidditch World Cup at the end of their school year, that was bound to feature the Tornadoes, for Christmas. And even then, she had only managed to get him a decent birthday gift this year, but not nearly as nice as this!

"Well after those tickets you bought me last year, and those Omnioculars for my birthday, I had to pay you back somehow! Now we are even…" he grinned.

"Fine…" Rose grumbled, not exactly agreeing, but just wanting to shut him up.

At this point they were nearing the Entrance Hall, and they ran into James, Fred and Lucy coming from the Great Hall.

"Rose!" shouted James, but not before sending Scorpius a glare. James still didn't like the idea that Albus and Rose joined Ravenclaw because of him. "Happy birthday!"

Next thing Rose knew, three bodies had pounced on top of her, and she was wincing on the floor.

"Guys, geroff me!" she cried, but it sounded more like "Gmhmh geroffhmm mmeh!" as James knee was somehow in her mouth. She could hear Scorpius somewhere above laughing, followed by a resounding "Oof!" and more weight added atop of her. Great…they had added Scorpius to the pile.

Finally moving her mouth away from James' knee, she cried out, "Hello! Becoming a human pancake here!"

Laughter was heard again, before finally the weight on her grew steadily lighter.

"Thank Merlin!" she cried when James finally removed himself.

Rose was still face down on the floor. "Well is anyone going to help me up?" she snapped.

Two arms laced under hers and she felt herself hauled up from the floor.

"There's our Rosie!" cried Fred.

"Oh sod off Fred," Rose grumbled, but a smirk was on her face nonetheless. "Can I go eat now?" she pleaded. Lucy nodded and shoved her and Scorpius in the direction of the Great Hall.

Sitting at the Ravenclaw table, Rose turned to Scorpius. "Where's Al?" she asked.

"Still asleep I reckon. He'll be down soon though, I rigged that Weasley Wizard Wheezes 'Never-Will-You-Sleep-In-Again' Alarm Clock to ring every five minutes after I left, and only way to turn it off is to bring it back to me." Scorpius smirked at his genius-ness. Rose laughed.

"He is going to murder you one day Scorp…Good thing it's a Saturday, or you'd waste a good day of classes in the Hospital Wing," she said, laughing harder as she piled food on her plate. Just like her father, she could eat everyone under the table, however despite her father; she rarely gained any weight from it. Her twig-like form was another thing that made Felicity jealous of her.

As if on cue, the doors to the Great Hall burst open, and in stormed Albus Potter in a rage, albeit a non-scary one. Almost comical.

"SCORPIUS MALFOY HOW IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DO I TURN THIS BLOODY TRINKET OFF, AND IF YOU DON'T TELL ME IN THE NEXT TWO MINUTES AND IT GOES OFF AGAIN, I SWEAR I WILL MURDER YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!"

Rose was laughing so hard, she had doubled over and clutched her sides. By this time Albus had reached their spot at the Ravenclaw table.

"Calm down Mr. Potter! Points…" said an amused Professor Longbottom, "will be taken if you don't stop your incessant shouting." The Professor laughed, before continuing on past them. Albus glared at the back of his head.

Albus' glares are about as harmful as the kitten now asleep on my bed. This only made Rose laugh harder.

"Sto-stop it Al! You're going to k-kill me!" Rose said between raucous laughter. Albus only tried glaring at her, but this just made Rose laugh harder.

Scorpius picked up his wand, pointed it at the odd contraption Rose only just noticed in Albus' hand, and muttered an incoherent spell, and its whirring stopped.

"Thank Merlin!" Albus said, before slumping at the table, head in hands, already halfway back to sleep.

Rose took the time to notice how haphazardly he was dressed. His shirt was buttoned wrong, his belt was undone, and, sadly, his fly was wide open to the world. And Rose was pretty sure his shoes were on the wrong feet.

Flicking her wand a couple of times, she did her best to try and fix her cousin's state of disarray. When he could be deemed presentable, she heard him mutter through his fingers, "Thanks Rose, dunno what I would do without you…" he groaned.

Scorpius chuckled as he helped himself to a little more breakfast, and tried to throw some on Albus' plate. "Eat, boy," he commanded.

Albus tiredly picked up his fork and shovelled eggs into his mouth. "Hffappee?" he said, mouth full of food, a few bits of egg falling out.

"Gross Al. Very mature of you," Rose said, handing him a napkin. He just grinned and continued to eat.

When breakfast was over, the trio hurried off to go see what Hagrid was up to for the day.

…

"I'm EXHAUSTED!" cried Al as they slung up the stairs to their tower.

"I believe it's riddle time guys, let's do this!" said Scorpius.

Knocking on the door, they waited for the Eagle's voice.

But it never came.

Albus knocked again. Still nothing.

"I've never heard of this happening before!" Rose cried, clearly flabbergasted by their predicament. "We need to find Professor Duke immediately!"

Turning, Rose headed down the tower stairs, when suddenly they transformed into a slide, as if she were a boy heading into the girl's dormitories.

"AAH!" she screamed, as her feet slid from under her, as did Scorpius and Albus', and the trio hurdled down the slide.

Rose landed with a hard thud at the bottom, but managed to move herself just in time so the boys wouldn't land on her.

"What the bloody hell is going on? Why is the tower turning against us?" asked Scorpius.

"I have no idea. Good thing Professor Duke's office is only down the hall by the Astronomy Tower. Let's go!" Albus said, hauling his two friend's up off of the floor by their arms.

"PROFESSOR!" cried Rose, as they knocked on his door minutes later. "Professor Duke!"

Seconds passed and finally he opened his door, yawning as if he had been napping.

"What's going on? What's happened?" he looked at the three of them, "What is the meaning of waking me from my glorious dream?"

Rose resisted the urge to giggle.

"Professor, something has gone wrong with Ravenclaw Tower. We were up there, and knocked on the door, but the eagle never responded! And then moments later the stairs turned into a slide as if boys were sneaking into the girl's dormitories, and we fell down the whole tower! It's a wonder we never got hurt!" Rose explained.

"Speak for yourself, my tailbone _aches_…" Albus groaned.

Rose shot him a glare. "What do we do Professor?"

Professor Duke looked dumbstruck. "Honestly…I have no idea. Look, you three go back and see if the tower has returned to normal, I'll go retrieve some other Professors."

Exiting his office, he locked the door behind him, before waving them off in the direction of their tower.

When they got there, however, the stairs were still transfigured into a slide, and a few Ravenclaws stood bewildered at the bottom.

"What's going on?" asked Connie.

"Not sure, but Professor Duke is rounding up re-enforcements," Scorpius said.

Minutes later Professor Duke arrived, along with Professors Corner, Macmillan and Vector, probably the first Professors he could find.

"Alright students, back it up now. We're going to do our best to get you to your beds. If not, a night in the Great Hall won't kill you!" Professor Duke said. Rose surely hoped he was joking.

She had heard of the time her parents and many other students had to sleep in the Great Hall in their third year. But that was because there was fear speculating that a mass murderer was in Gryffindor tower. Even so, Sirius Black was innocent in the end, but it was still scary to think about. Imagine if he hadn't been innocent?

More than a half an hour later, Rose, Scorpius and Albus sat on the floor, bored out of their minds, as the Professors were still waving their wands at the tower's stairs.

"Aha!" came a cry, as Professor Corner stood, arm raised, apparently observing his work.

The stairs were finally visible once more as the slide disappeared. Several Ravenclaws cheered as the Professor ambled up the stairway, followed closely by Professors Duke and Vector, then Rose, Scorpius, Albus and the rest of the students.

When they reached the top, Professor Duke knocked on the door.

"_Thank Merlin you figured that out Professor! I didn't know what was going on; it was as if I was frozen! Someone must have misplaced a spell!_" The eagle said.

"No worries, anyways, we wish to enter!"

"_Why, yes, of course. Hm. Let's see, what riddle to give today? Oh I know…_

_What must one pay to scratch?"_

Scorpius eyebrows knitted together, as did Rose's. However they were all surprised as to who answered this riddle.

"Er – would 'Quidditch' be the answer?" asked Albus.

Rose looked at her cousin. How did he get that kind of answer? But sure enough, the eagle grinned somewhat, and the door swung open.

"How does that even make sense?" she asked him.

"You of all people should know Rose, with your mum being muggle-born," he replied, shrugging. When Rose never replied, he continued, "A 'quid' is slang for a pound. You know, muggle money? And well, you 'scratch an itch'…so Quidditch."

"That's genius Al!" Rose squealed throwing her arms around her cousin, "Looks like you're a bit of a late bloomer, but finally Ravenclaw appears in you!"

Albus groaned. "I've answered riddles before Rose; you've just never given me a chance!"

Rose looked at the floor, her eyes downcast with shame.

"I didn't say that was a bad thing Rose, in fact, I'd rather you answer them anyways. Less thinking for me!" Albus grinned, bringing a smile back on Rose's face as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"Well, night you two, I'm tucking in early because we have a lot of homework to catch up on tomorrow, as it was _your_ great idea to go frolicking off to see Hagrid Al."

"But _Roose_, it's your birthday! I wasn't letting you work on your _birthday_!" A few more rounds of 'Happy birthdays!' were heard, even from Professor Duke, who was chatting amiably with the Eagle door.

"You've got to stop doing that Al…" she groaned, turning back to the stairs. "Night boys," she called, before disappearing.

Albus turned to Scorpius.

"So Scorp, when you going to tell her you've got a crush on her?" he asked. Several heads turned their way, itching for gossip.

"Uh – I don't know what you are talking about Al…" he replied, his cheeks burning.

"Hey, I may be dumb sometimes, but I'm not that oblivious…" Albus raised an eyebrow.

Scorpius grabbed Albus' arm and dragged him up to their room, where thankfully Jacob and Tyler were no where in sight.

"Look Al, you're...well you're sort of right. But it's really nothing. Probably be gone in a few days. She just stood out today that's all."

"Scorp, this has been going on since last year. It won't go away that simply," Albus said, raising an eyebrow.

Scorpius' blush deepened. "Look Al, there's no way she'll like me like that anyways. And we're only thirteen for crying out loud! Nothing will happen. So I'm just ignoring it…"

"Yeah if ignoring it means staring at her when she's not looking, buying her _really_ expensive gifts – she has no idea that you paid a fortune for that kitten you know. She knows it was expensive, just not _how_ expensive – oh and don't forget telling off any boy who even looks at her…" Albus rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I only told off that Underwood kid from Slytherin. Remember him? Ben something or other. He was giving Rose _the look_…you know. _That one_!" Scorpius shuddered.

Albus rolled his eyes. "I spoke with Ben afterwards. He wasn't giving Rose _the look_ he was giving it to Connie next to her. You just miscalculated!"

"How do we know he wasn't lying?" Scorpius said, eyes narrowed.

"Because remember how he tried to convince Connie to go out with him the following week, however she ended up blowing her potion up in both their faces and they had to go to the Hospital Wing!"

"Oh…right…" was all Scorpius could say. "Well I was wrong OK. I admit that…" he grumbled. "Still aren't we all a little _young_ for _the look_?"

"Scorp, you're scaring me. You sound like my Uncle Ron."

"Oh God, don't tell me that!" Scorpius groaned, covering his ears. Albus laughed.

"Can you imagine if he found out you liked his little Rosie? You'd be a dead man."

Scorpius paled. "Well let's see to it that he never finds out."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Anyways, Rose is right. We have a lot of homework to do tomorrow. I'm going to sleep. Night Scorpius."

"Night Al," he replied, climbing into his four poster.

All night however, he was unable to get a certain auburn-haired girl from his mind.

* * *

**A/N:** Go ahead and attack me for the weirdness and annoying-ness. I promise it gets better...I hope.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I know this chapter isn't as long as the usual ones, but it's necessary :) Here we go!

* * *

CHAPTER 4

"SUMMER!" cried Albus, as he tossed his papers in the air at the end of their Charms theory exam.

"Mr. Potter, that is quite inappropriate, students are still writing their exams – " however Professor Corner's words fell on deaf ears as Albus skipped from the Great Hall, followed by a laughing Scorpius, who had finished as well. Rose was still tediously scribbling away with her quill, checking over every single answer. There was no way she would let anyone beat her on this final.

Around twenty minutes later Rose joined Albus and Scorpius in the Common Room.

"We're done Rosie Posie!" Albus cried. "Second year complete, only five more to go!" Throwing his arms around her, he began to ridiculously dance around the laughing students.

"Think about it Al, we'll be able to pick electives next year! I could do Arithmancy, or Ancient Runes, just like mum!" Rose beamed.

Albus groaned however. "Rose, it's summer. No more school talk until the end of August when we get our letters that tell us to choose."

Scorpius laughed at the cousins. Sure deep down inside him he still had that inkling of a crush on Rose. But it had mostly passed. Almost all sets of friends go through it, his time just came too early, he thought.

Rose however just looked at her blonde friend. Albus had hinted to her once that he had a crush on her, but it had obviously passed. It made Rose a little happier to know she wasn't hurting her friend by not liking him that way.

Just then Sarah happened to come down the stairs from the girl's dormitories. Spotting Rose she crossed the room. Over the last few months, the two had grown really close. Rose basically considered Sarah her closest friend besides Scorpius and Albus. Rose could tell Sarah the things she couldn't tell the boys.

"Hey Rose!" Sarah called.

"Sarah! Can you believe it! We're practically third years now! I can taste the extra homework…" Albus groaned once again. "Oh shut it Al!"

"I know! What are you doing this summer?" Sarah asked.

"Well, probably spending a lot of it at the Burrow, but really I'm doing nothing. Why?" Rose asked, curious.

"We-ell…" Sarah began, "I was talking to my dad, and he said I can bring a friend when we spend a week in the Alps! How would you like to go with me?"

"REALLY?" Rose squealed so loud that the boys had to cover their ears. "I'd love to go Sarah! Let me owl my parents right now!" Grabbing Sarah's hand she dragged the girl from the room, and ran off to the Owlery to owl her mum.

"How about you Scorp, what are your plans?" Albus asked.

"Well, actually, I've been talking with my father. He says, if your parents are OK with it, and Rose, too, of course, that we can have a Weasley/Potter/Malfoy etcetera Quidditch scrimmage at my house over the summer! And this includes _everyone_ even Teddy and Victoire if they want to come, and the Scamanders, and the Longbottoms! He actually agreed to it last year, but we ended up going to Albania."

Albus beamed, "That's great Scorp! I'll tell the others. If we all ask our parents and they say its OK, I'll owl you and we can come up with the details!"

Scorpius grinned. This was what he had been looking forward to. A chance to get his and Rose's father to _bond_. As much as he hated to say that. He knew Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley hated each other. But if they could just see past that, then maybe, _just maybe_, he'd have a chance with Rose. Oops, so much for no crush.

The train left for King's Cross in two days time, so tomorrow would be a free day where students could wander, or if they were older, they could go to Hogsmeade. James, Fred, Lucy and the other older students were all up to something. Especially Frank Longbottom, as he was graduating this year and it would be his last chance for a prank.

Of course Professor Longbottom was watching his son like a hawk, but Merlin knows what that boy could pull off, even under his father's surveillance. He had probably been the one to jinx their common room door back in January, as he had seemed the only one who could recite, in detail, what was wrong with the door.

…

The next morning found Rose frantically running back and forth across her room, finding her belongings haphazardly strewn everywhere. It was a good thing she had a checklist of everything she had brought, so she could make sure she still had it all.

Sure enough, once she'd gotten through her list, one thing was missing.

Her charm bracelet. The one she had gotten for her birthday.

Rose looked everywhere, even tried _Accio Charm Bracelet_ but nothing worked.

Beginning to cry, she slumped on her bed, just as Felicity walked in.

"Aw is something wrong little bookworm?" she spat. Rose didn't reply. "Scorpius call you ugly? Fat? Well he wouldn't be lying."

Rose's breath hitched. Usually her insults didn't hurt. But that one did. Ever since Rose's birthday, Felicity acted as if she was the most disgusting thing on earth, and this made Rose uneasy.

"No Clearwater, I lost my charm bracelet."

"Oh that ugly little trinket? Oh I think I saw that somewhere…Oh no wait, I would remember seeing something _that_ ugly."

Sniffing, Rose stood up, meaning to leave the room.

"Yes little weasel, leave before you get your feelings hurt. Run back to your over-grown family."

Rose couldn't take it anymore. It was one thing to insult her. It was a whole other thing to insult her family.

Turning around, Rose was glad she wasn't one of those girls to go and get manicures, because she reached her hand out and slashed her nails down the side of the other girl's face.

Felicity seemed to be in shock, so Rose took this opportunity to grab onto the black hair on her head and give it a good yank, hoping to send her face first into the floor.

Rose would have left it at this, but Felicity had other ideas in mind. Before she could fall to the floor, she had grabbed Rose's wrist, sending her head first down onto the cement floor.

With a loud crack, Rose landed head first, hard.

Next thing Felicity knew there was blood everywhere, and she began screaming.

Luckily Sarah and Connie had only been down in the Common Room, and upon hearing their roommate screams, they raced upstairs. Scorpius and Albus stood frozen, not understanding what was going on, and not being able to follow up the girl's stairs, they simply waited.

"Felicity! What did you do!" cried Sarah, upon seeing Rose on the floor and a pool of blood.

Felicity was at a loss for words, but finally she found them. "It…it was a-an accident. We were fighting a-and…" she began sobbing into Connie's arms. Connie only rolled her eyes before giving her a pat on the back as if she cared.

"Guys get a Professor immediately. We need to get Rose to the hospital wing!"

This is what Albus and Scorpius heard from the Common Room, and they began to panic.

"Go Al! Get Duke! You're faster than me! He's just down the hall," cried Connie as she entered the Common Room.

Scorpius was so in shock he could barely speak. "What's happened Connie?"

"Rose has hit her head; she's lost a lot of blood. Sarah's managed to stop it, and I tried to clean up the mess, but with Felicity bawling like a fog horn, it's kind of hard to not get annoyed." Just as Connie said this, Professor Duke entered with a loud "I CAN'T ANSWER THAT RIGHT NOW, JUST LET ME IN THERE'S A STUDENT WHO IS HURT! I AM HEAD OF RAVENCLAW AND I DEMAND ENTRANCE!"

Luckily for him the Eagle on the door seemed to listen, and swung open permitting them entrance.

Entering the Common Room Professor Duke and Albus rushed in.

"Where's Rose?" he asked, and Connie pointed up the stairs. "OK Miss Marks, you will have to levitate her down to here, OK? I cannot go up the stairs. Be very careful."

Moments later Connie and Sarah appeared, levitating Rose in front of them. Felicity followed, sniffling, behind.

Scorpius and Albus followed diligently behind them, glaring at Felicity, as they made their way to the Hospital Wing. Finally they made it, where they laid Rose on a bed, and Madam Pomfrey came rushing out.

"Oh dear. A bit of Skele-gro will patch that crack up nicely, but she needs a blood-replenishing potion straight away." Bustling away, she returned moments later with two bottles. Tilting Rose's head back carefully, she tipped them in. Rose spluttered for a moment, but the Potions went down.

"She'll be fine in a few hours, but I'm going to have to keep her until at least supper time," said the Healer.

Scorpius let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Aw man! Rose will miss out on the great prank! Maybe we can convince Frank to – "

Suddenly loud bangs could be heard from the ground.

"Aw man, now we're missing it! Remind me to thank Rose later…" Albus said.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Look man, you go get in on the action, I'll stay and make sure Rose is OK when she wakes up."

Albus looked at him funny, but left nonetheless. And he was followed shortly by Professor Duke, who was dragging off Felicity, muttering something about a month's worth of detention when she got back in the fall, an essay over the summer, and an apology letter to Rose. At least he never docked points. And finally Sarah and Connie left to go get some food.

Scorpius sighed in the silence. Madam Pomfrey had returned to her office, and Rose was sound asleep.

Rose's chest was rising and falling softly and Scorpius couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked, even after what had happened to her. Her auburn curls flooded around her shoulders, and her hands lay at her sides.

Yeah, he definitely hadn't gotten over that 'silly little crush' of his.

…

Rose awoke the next morning with a splitting headache, and surprise etched on her face as she realized she was in the Hospital Wing. Scorpius was asleep in the chair next to her and she could see it was dark outside through the windows. How long had she been here? What had happened?

"Scorp?" she asked lightly, and Scorpius stirred from his sleep.

"Oh, Rose, you're awake! Good, I'll let Madam Pomfrey know," he moved to get up, but Rose stopped him.

"How long have I been here?" she asked

"Since this afternoon. You and Felicity were fighting and you fell and hit your head off the floor."

"Thanks..." she said softly.

"For what?" he asked

"Staying here. For being such a good friend," Rose smiled.

"No problem Rose," he smiled, "Really."

And with that, he went to go find Madam Pomfrey.

...

Rose pulled the woollen hat off of her head. She had just arrived back from the Alps safe and sound in her living room fireplace. The green flames settled around her, and she could hear her mother bustling forward.

"Welcome home Rose! There have been a few owls for you, so I left the letters in your room!" she said, giving Rose a tight hug.

"Mum! Geroff! I've only been gone a week, and you're hugging me harder than you did after first year!" Rose shooed at her mother. She could hear her father chuckling in the kitchen. "Where's Hugo?"

"At the Potter's of course. He and Lily are obsessed with the fact that they are going to Hogwarts. So naturally they have to spend every waking moment together plotting..." Hermione replied.

Rose laughed, "Typical."

Dragging her duffle bag to her room, she pulled her parka off and threw it into her closet, followed by the boots on her feet and winter pants.

Looking on her desk, she was surprised to see nearly fifteen letters there. _I was only gone a week! Sheesh!_

There were two from Albus, one from Connie, one from Victoire, one from Ms. Luna Scamander, and the rest were from, you guessed it, Scorpius. Ten whole letters he sent Rose.

Reading Ms. Scamander's first, she was pleased to hear she had been invited over this weekend to babysit the twins while her and her husband needed to travel to Austria to 'check on something'.

Albus' were the usual, checking on her and asking how summer was going. As was Connie's.

Victoire's was an unexpected note however.

_Dear Rose,_

_Hey girl! I haven't heard from you since the beginning of summer! How are you?  
__Let me know, because I've got some exciting news! Remember my friend Elsie Lochrin? Well she was in Diagon Alley yesterday, and guess what she saw?  
__Teddy. MY Teddy. Going in to a store. And not just any store. _Bewitching Baubles.  
_As in THE place to buy jewellery. Any jewellery. Necklaces. Pins. Earrings. Rings…  
__He's been hinting lately how he really wishes he was actually part of the family.  
__What if he plans to propose? What do I do? What do I say?  
_…_Well I say yes of course!  
__Oh Rose! I wanted you to be the first to know. But do not tell_ anyone_ especially Uncle Harry. It would break his heart if someone knew before him!  
__I am beside myself with excitement! But really why I am writing to you though is…  
__If Teddy does propose, will you be my Maid of Honor?  
__I know it's a big job, but if anyone can do it, it's you! Please say yes! I wouldn't know who else to ask!_

_Your lovely cousin,  
__Victoire_

Rose gaped at the letter. Was Victoire serious? Her? The Maid of Honor? Of course she'd say yes!

Pulling out a piece of parchment, she scribbled her reply.

_Dear Victoire,_

_Of course I will be your Maid of Honor! How could I possibly say no! The moment he proposes I am going into full-fledged MOH mode on you. I'm talking who, what, when, where, decorations, bridal shower, booking a minister, EVERYTHING YOU NEED I WILL DO IT!  
__Oh congrats Victoire! I'm sooo happy for you! Send me a picture of the rock when you get it! I need something to be jealous over!_

_Love,  
__Rose_

Next she flicked through Scorpius' letters. However she was so excited about Victoire, she couldn't concentrate. The first few kept asking how her summer was going, if she had gone to the Alps yet, so on and so forth. The last three however, mentioned something different.

Reading it she cocked an eyebrow. Was he serious? A Weasley/Potter/Malfoy plus more scrimmage at his house? Was he in his right state of mind? Her father would never agree…

… "Sure Rose. As long as parents are allowed. I don't want you near Draco Malfoy without me."

Rose gaped at her father. The only thing that could explain this was if he already knew about it, and mother had calmed him down. Sure enough, when she glanced at her mother, Hermione was smiling wide.

"You guys are weird…" Rose said, narrowing her eyes, "But I'll tell Scorpius you said yes."

Running up, she grabbed another bit of parchment and wrote a simple reply of _Yes, we'll be there. Parentals and all._

Tying both her replies to her owls legs, she let the bird loose, sending it first to Victoire and then to Scorpius.

…

"Are you sure you're OK with this dad?" Rose asked tentatively, her day sack slung over her shoulder, and her broom in her hand. It wasn't a new fancy broom, just something simple that she used with the family. She was ready to floo to the Malfoy's. Hugo was right behind her, his broom in hand as well.

"Yes Rose. I am. I've already been talking with Scorpius' father, and we've agreed to either get along or ignore each other. Whatever one works. And your mother promised if it gets ugly, she's going to drag me out of there. Right Hermione?"

"Right," Hermione replied with a curt nod.

"Well then what are we waiting for! Let's go!" Rose cried.

Hopping into the fireplace, she grabbed a fair amount of Floo Powder, and flung it into the flames, crying out "Malfoy Residence, Humberdale Road, Kingsbrith."

Hurtling through the flames, Rose tumbled out into a room with an arched ceiling, and hardly any furniture.

"Hullo Rose!" came a familiar voice.

Turning she saw Scorpius and grinned. "Hey! What's with the empty room?"

"We only use it to Floo. No need to decorate or nothing. Anyways, I can take your bag to where everyone else's is if you want?"

Rose smiled. "No, that's OK. I'm just waiting for – "

"OOF!"

"That," Rose grinned and turned to find her father on his face on the floor, with Hugo laughing at him.

"Oh Rose! It was priceless! Tripped over the grate he did!" Hugo continued to guffaw as their mother stepped gracefully out of the fireplace.

Rose smiled.

As Ron stood up, Hermione crossed over to him and grasped his arm.

"Where's your father Scorpius. I'd very much like to say our thanks…" Hermione said politely.

"Everyone else is outside; you're the last to arrive."

Rose heard her mother groan out low, _As always…_

Walking down the hall, they made their way to a beautiful foyer. There were several doors off the side. Scorpius pointed to the one on the furthest left.

"You can put your things in there if you want."

Rose crossed over and laid her bag beside the few others that were there, before heading back out with her broom.

Opening the doors, Scorpius led them to the vast back yard area. Rose spied all of her cousins zooming around on their brooms while their parents and Draco and Astoria Malfoy stood below them chuckling.

"Here they are father," he said, catching Draco's attention. Draco turned, a slight smile on his face.

"Welcome," was all he said before turning to his wife and whispering something.

Astoria Malfoy was a beautiful young woman, and when she approached them Hugo blushed. Rose giggled at her silly brother and smacked him playfully on the arm.

"Hello Mr and Ms Weasley. Welcome to our home. My husband has asked me to show you around, as I'm sure you are curious."

This time it was Hermione's turn to blush, and she responded with a nod.

"Shall we?" asked Astoria, before leading Rose's parents inside.

"Want to play?" asked Scorpius, while pointing to her cousins.

Everyone was there. James, Albus, and Lily. Molly and Lucy, Fred and Roxanne, Dominique and Louis, Teddy and Victoire, and even Lorcan, Lysander, Frank, Alice and Thomas were here. What surprised Rose the most was the sight of Sarah among them.

Rose grinned. Even all the Aunts and Uncles had come. Percy and Audrey, George and Angelina, Bill and Fleur, Harry and Ginny, Luna and Rolf, Neville and a very pregnant Hannah, and Uncle Charlie. Even Sarah's parents were here, Terry and Marietta Boot. They were chatting with Harry and Ginny, probably about the old days.

"Sure!" Rose finally replied to an awaiting Scorpius. Motioning to Hugo, she pulled on her never worn Keeper gloves that she had gotten from Albus and took off on her broom.

She still had no interest in playing Quidditch, but knew she would be forced to try out this year. So she may as well get some practise in.

Since there were twenty people there, some decided to sit out. So one team was made of Rose, James, Molly, Fred, Dominique, Lorcan and Sarah. The other team was Albus, Lily, Roxanne, Hugo, Teddy, Lysander, and Scorpius. Sitting out were Lucy, Victoire, Frank, Alice, Thomas and Louis.

Making a group huddle, teams decided on positions. Keeper would be Rose, Seeker was James, and Beaters would be Dominique and Fred, leaving Chasers as Molly, Lorcan and Sarah.

The other team had their make-up made as well, Keeper being Teddy, Seeker was Albus, Beaters were Roxanne and Hugo and the Chasers were Lily, Lysander and Scorpius.

This was going to be interesting.

…

Two hours later, fourteen beat players flung themselves down on chairs around the long table laid out for dinner. Everyone else had already been seated.

The game had ended with Rose's team winning, 230 points to 80. It had been tied at 80, until James snuck right past his younger brother and caught the snitch.

Rose was bragging about the amazing saves she had made.

"Did you see – "

"Yes."

"And then I – "

"Yes, we saw Rose."

"Followed by – "

"Saw that, too, Rose."

"Would you shut up sis?" yelled Hugo as everyone laughed except for Rose.

"Well I never – "

"SHH!" Hugo interrupted.

"OK kids, that's enough," Hermione interjected, shutting the two up.

Draco stood up then. "I would like to thank everyone for coming today. My wife and I agree that it's about time our families had some civility between them, and today has been a perfect example. I think we should do this every year, until our kids have moved out and gone on, and they can continue the tradition, inviting us for a change."

Laughter went down the table as the older copy of Scorpius grinned lightly.

"To unity!" He said, lifting his glass.

"To unity!" everyone repeated, Ron winced as he did so, but participated in clinking glasses of lemonade.

…

After dinner, Scorpius gave all the cousins and friends a tour of his home. It was wonderful! All the designs and furniture were breathtaking.

"This is so much better than our house!" Rose said in awe. Hugo nodded in agreement.

Scorpius laughed. "My father said you guys are free to come here any time you want. He really is all for this unity stuff he keeps talking about. I think it's weird, but hey, if it means we can visit each other any time, I'm not complaining!"

Lily was taken back by the large walk in closets in the home. Promptly announcing she would get her father to transfigure hers into one. Everyone laughed, but she meant business.

Rose turned to her cousins. "So, Lucy…Frank…did you like the birthday gifts I sent you?" she asked.

Lucy beamed. "I loved mine Rose! You know the Quibbler is my favourite! And getting me a year's subscription, it's like you read my mind!"

"Yeah!" cried Frank, "I'm definitely going to love these books on Quidditch Manoeuvres that will help me get through training!" Frank was currently in training for Professional Quidditch as he had just graduated. His goal was to make the Wasps team, but he didn't care; any team would do.

The others began discussing the other gifts that Lucy and Frank had received, while Rose turned to the last door in the hall.

"What's in there Scorp?" she asked.

Scorpius blushed, "Er – that's my room."

"Oh really?" she grinned evilly, "and how about that door over there?" she asked, pointing in the opposite direction.

Scorpius turned, "What door?" he asked.

But Rose had slipped past him and was running to the door leading to Scorpius' bedroom. By the time Scorpius noticed, she had a hand on the doorknob and had wrenched it open.

Inside was quite a spacious room that left Rose in shock. The walls were covered in posters, including the Tornadoes one she had given him last year, and there were pictures everywhere of different people. Looking closely she saw a few of herself that made her smile.

Scorpius had caught up with Rose now and was standing in his doorway. "You little sneak," he said angrily, but there was a grin on his face so Rose knew he was playing with her.

Rose smiled. His room really displayed his Ravenclaw pride, his walls a deep blue, and his bed being a four-poster with curtains and sheets like the ones in their dormitories. Wide open windows with a small balcony outside overlooked the backyard where they had spent the afternoon, and a bookshelf took up nearly one whole wall of the room.

"Wow Scorpius! This is so much better than my room!" Rose said in awe.

"Er – thanks…" Scorpius replied, blushing slightly.

Everyone else had wandered into the room now, and Scorpius felt like his privacy was being invaded.

"Alright, alright. Enough gawking at my bedroom. Let's go!" he said, grasping Rose by the arm lightly and leading the way out. Everyone followed behind slowly until they were back in the yard once more.

Laughing, the young ones all exited the Malfoy home. Rose stopped where she was standing however, as did Scorpius.

Yells were coming across the garden and Rose made a dash for it, knowing full well who one of the voices belonged to.

Approaching the scene, Rose's hands immediately went to her hips.

On the ground, fighting like young children were Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy themselves. Punches were flailing and hair was being pulled. Mr. Malfoy's tie was pulled off and lay a foot away on the ground.

"Daddy!" Rose cried. Immediately they stopped their rolling.

"Rose? Er, this isn't what it looks like…"

"Dad, you promised! You said you would either try to be civil or ignore your need to punch my friend's father in the face. And yet here you are, bickering as if you were still in Hogwarts! This day was almost perfect dad. Almost! But you had to ruin it, I hope you're happy." Turning to Scorpius, she let her eyes sink to the ground, "I'm sorry for my idiot of a father. I can assure you this _will not_ happen again." Turning on her heels, she approached her mother before Scorpius even had the chance to say anything. "Can we leave mum? Please? Before father here embarrasses us any more?" Mrs. Weasley nodded, and led Rose back inside, grasping Hugo's arm as she went, completely ignoring her husband.

Rose's tears had begun to fall as she retrieved her bag and broom from the side room off the entrance way on their way back to the Floo room.

Just as she reached for the powder, she heard a voice call her name.

"Rose! Wait!" came the voice of Scorpius behind her.

Turning Rose sighed. "Scorpius I'm sorry for my oaf of a father – "

"Rose, my father was just at fault as yours. So I apologize as well."

Rose smiled slightly. "See you in two weeks?"

"Definitely. I'll save the compartment! God knows you will all be late again this year!" Scorpius laughed, and Rose joined him. Turning back to the fireplace, she grabbed some powder and followed her mother and brother who had left whilst she spoke with Scorpius.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this one. I wanted to see what would happen if I threw everyone together. It could have been better I guess, I really want to try and get more Draco in the story, as I love him!

On another note, did anyone see AVPS? I think it made my life complete. I had been counting down the days, but it was all worth it! Two things: Scarf of Sexual Preferences, I KNEW that would be there. I remember some of the cast talking about it. And anyone else have 'Hermione can't draw' stuck in their heads? Yeah, I definitely have for the past four days.

Anywho, I'd like to thank all my reviewers and people who add me as favorites or alerts :) You all make me feel special!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I likes this chapter :) Just so you all know. That's really all I have to say... Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

"Are you sure you have everything Rose?" Hermione asked her daughter.

"Yes mum, cauldron, books, parchment, quills, wand, potion ingredients, Felis, all my robes," Rose grinned.

"At least say good bye to your father," Hermione said softly. "I know you will take a long time to forgive him, but he's an Auror honey, you don't know the next time you can see him is…"

"Fine," Rose muttered before turning to her father. "Bye father," was all she said, before taking Hugo by the arm and making their way to the train. This year her younger brother and cousin Lily would join them at Hogwarts.

"Rose, I'm _so excited_!" Hugo said, clearly unable to contain himself.

Once they had dropped off their luggage, they got on the train, and true to his words, Scorpius was in a compartment, Albus already there waiting with him. Lily was no where in sight, so I sent Hugo on to hang around her.

"Hey guys!" Rose beamed entering the compartment. "Third year! What courses did you pick?"

Scorpius groaned. "Really Rose? That'd the first thing you want to talk about. Look at you in your robes already. In a rush to get somewhere?" he grinned as she flushed red.

"No. I just don't like the bathrooms on the train. My mum described how awful they are, so I decide to avoid them altogether." Albus laughed. "_Anyways_, I chose to dabble in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes like mum. And of course, Care of Magical Creatures. How about you guys?"

"I only took Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, how about you Scorpius?" asked Albus. Rose grinned.

"I took the same as you Rose. Couldn't be bothered with Divination; heard it was awful," Scorpius smirked.

"Yeah my mum ditched it only a little ways in. Called Trelawny a loony," Rose smiled; remembering the story her father had told her hundreds of times. "Anyways, I can't wait to see what punishment Professor Duke gives Felicia. Her apology letter was atrocious. She spelled _accident_ wrong. Ha! Like it was an accident…"

"Yeah, supposedly she's going to be Professor Goldstein's assistant all of September. Including sorting out his storage cupboards _by hand_ and cleaning up at the end of classes every day _with no magic_. Oh it's going to be sweet!" Albus said.

"Where'd you hear that from?"

Albus turned to Rose. "I ran into the Professor in Diagon Alley and he might have let it slip." Rose laughed. When Albus said something like that, that means he _charmed _it out of the man, using his father as leverage.

The rest of the train ride passed with idle chit chat as the boys played Exploding Snap, while Rose re-read the book she had 'borrowed' from Ravenclaw Tower at the end of second year.

As they clambered off the train, they could see Hagrid up ahead, calling out for the first years. Rose managed to find her brother before he went off and give him a good luck hair ruffle, and a small hug for Lily for the sorting. Surely they would follow the family and be in Gryffindor.

Crawling into the carriages, Rose smiled. "So Scorpius, I got you an awesome birthday gift this year!" Her grin grew exponentially.

"Oh really, I don't think it will beat mine for this year. And yes, I do have it already," he laughed as Rose huffed in annoyance.

"Well we'll just have to see, now won't we?" Rose smirked as Albus shook his head at her childish act.

Settling down at the Ravenclaw table, the three began arguing over how they thought the sorting would go.

"Well I think we're going to get an even number of first years. It's how it always works!" Albus said.

"Yes, but there was a lot more first years heading to the boats this year, we may be off in calculations." Rose shook her head at Scorpius.

"Who cares guys, as long as my brother doesn't get stuck in Slytherin. He'd never survive. He's too quiet…I'm scared he'll end up a Hufflepuff…" Rose's eyes grew as she realized how true her words were.

"Don't worry Rose. He'll be a Gryffindor. Dad told Lily about the hat thing. Surely she told Hugo," Albus turned to look as the first years scrambled in.

Searching through the crowd, Rose's eyes landed on Hugo. He looked extremely nervous, and was wringing his hands together. "I don't think she told him Al…" she said quietly.

Once everyone had settled, the Sorting Hat burst into another of its famous songs…

'_Here we are again dear friends  
__The beginning of a time to learn.  
__All you who have been sorted before  
__Sit back, for it's now those before me's turn._

_Four Houses separate  
__the students at this school  
__Your House is like your family  
__And to be sorted, I am the tool._

_Keep in mind the House you're in  
__Is a new family to you  
__Let me get on with my song now  
__And you'll see what I can do._

_Gryffindor is the House  
__Where dwell the courageous hearts  
__Their loyalty and chivalry  
__Tend to set them all apart._

_Or Ravenclaw might be your House  
__Where you can find those strong of mind  
__Their hearts thirst for knowledge  
__No smarter House can you find._

_Yet Hufflepuff may be the place  
__Where you find that you belong  
__There dwell those who are just and sweet  
__Fitting in won't take you long_

_And yet you might find  
__That these Houses just aren't you  
__What about the last House,  
__Surely that can do!_

_Slytherin is where  
__Those sly and quick are found  
__Your cunning mind and your will to act  
__Makes this House the place you're bound_

_So newcomers, welcome!  
__Old friends, hello to you!  
__Put me on your heads new friends,  
__And you're House, I'll tell to you!_'

Hands applauded around the room as the Sorting Hat returned to its original position.

Professor Corner lifted the list, and the first student was called. 'Appleton, Leslie.' Who was promptly sorted to Hufflepuff.

It seemed to take years, and already the Ravenclaw table had gained six new students, when finally a familiar name was called.

'Potter, Lily.'

The hall seemed to hush as the third and final child of the Potter family approached the stool. Everyone hoped she would mess up like her older brother Albus, and be placed elsewhere. But Albus knew she wouldn't, and sure enough 'GRYFFINDOR!' came out of the Hat's mouth a moment later.

Lily seemed to sigh with relief as she shuffled her way to sit by James. The hall burst into applause as a Potter ended up where they belonged, according to them. She sent a slightly apologetic smile to Albus, before turning back to the front.

By the time it was almost over, Hugo was in a similar situation that she had been two years before, being one of only two people left.

'Weasley, Hugo.'

"_Lucky wanker…_" Rose grumbled as Scorpius and Albus laughed at her. By now they had seven first years.

The Hat seemed to take forever. Rose swore they had been sitting for five minutes watching Hugo mind-argue with the hat.

Finally the Hat seemed to come to a decision, as its brim opened up:

'RAVENCLAW!'

Rose was shocked. Her mouth hung agape as her little brother came to join her, the biggest grin on his face she had ever seen. Applause was delayed, as not one, but two Weasley's, of the same immediate family, ended up in Ravenclaw. The moment he approached their table, she gave him the biggest hug ever, not even caring that 'Yewley, Brian' became the last Hufflepuff.

"Oh thank MERLIN! I thought you'd be shoved in Hufflepuff all by yourself. Now I can see you all the time! YAY!" Rose coddled her brother, who smacked her hands away.

"Yeah the first place the hat said was Hufflepuff. But I told him, 'No way am I going there!' And the hat was just like, 'OK!'… It was weird. Then it tried to convince me of Gryffindor, but I remembered how much you said you loved Ravenclaw. And the Hat started rambling about you and mum. And next thing I knew, I was here!"

"Oh wait 'til mum and dad hear! Not one of their kids ended up in Gryffindor. I think dad'll have a heart attack! Oh I'm so sending a letter tonight!" Rose grinned evilly.

"Actually, mind if I tell them Rose? It is my news after all," Hugo smirked.

"Fine, go ahead. But only if I can stick a blurb in. I'm really too lazy to write my own letter…" Rose laughed and the others laughed with her.

It seemed that Felicia was avoiding her, as she had placed herself as far away from Rose at the Ravenclaw table as she could, along with Connie. Sarah seemed to be crammed in the middle along with Tyler and Jacob. Rose sent her friends a thumbs up, and wordlessly communicating that they'd catch up in the Common Room.

After eating the delicious food that had been prepared by the House Elves in the Kitchens, Rose decided it was time to head up to the Common Room.

"Hugo, you have to go with the First Years, but I'll see you when you get up there!" Rose waved good bye to her brother, and wrapped her arms around Albus and Scorpius, leading them upstairs. "Aw, isn't this lovely. We're home! No nagging parents. No awful family members. No overly traditional grand-parents. Freedom!" Rose laughed and it echoed through the shortcut they had decided to take. Soon Albus and Scorpius' laughs joined hers.

They climbed the stairs to their tower, and there stood one of Rose's favourite things about Hogwarts.

'_Welcome back third years! On to your riddle, yes…Something simple for tonight…Ah, this shall do:_

_What is something that is yours? Rarely no one else's. Yet everyone else uses it more than you?_'

The three thought for a moment.

"Oh, I know!" came Rose's voice before the two boys, "Your name!"

'_Correct Miss Weasley! I expect to see great things from you this year! Have a good night boys!_'

Rose grinned triumphantly as they entered the Common Room, and were surprised to see no one else there yet. They must have been the first to return.

Sheepishly, Rose crossed the room, and slipped the book back onto the bookcase.

'_Thank you Miss Weasley for returning another of my books. But next time, keep them in the Tower!_' The distinct voice of the Eagle chastised Rose from outside the door. Rose blushed as Albus and Scorpius laughed at her.

Rose grabbed her favourite seat by the fire as more students began clambering in. She noticed a boy and a girl talking furiously, shiny new prefect badges on their robes. They must be the new fifth year prefects. Looks like they had just escaped leading the first years upstairs to the Common Room.

There were no Heads in Ravenclaw this year, although last year's Head Girl was a petite girl named Denise Warbeck. Who, no matter how much she tried to convince people otherwise, was grand-daughter of Celestine Warbeck, that wretch of a singer that Grandma Weasley loved.

Nope, this year found Rose's cousin Molly as Head Girl. She could remember Uncle Percy Flooing to their house the moment Molly had received her badge, just to rub it in Ron's face for mocking him about it years ago. Head Boy was Hufflepuff Sean Diggins.

It was Rose's secret ambition to be a Prefect and Head Girl one day. But she never told the boys. They would mock her until their tongues fell out.

Finally it appeared that the first years had reached the Tower, as the Eagle greeted them.

'_Welcome new Ravens! I'll give you the simple riddle that I've been giving everyone else. And no, sir, I do not require a password. You just answer my riddle correctly and you're through! And if you get it wrong, well you wait for someone to either come and answer it for you, so you may learn, or for someone to exit. Yes I am aware that means you can be stuck out here all night…_' The eagle groaned slightly, as students inside the Common Room snickered.

They listened as the Eagle gave the same riddle it had been giving all night.

In the end, Rose was surprised that she recognized the voice who answered the riddle.

'_Uh…is it your name?_' came the timid voice of her brother.

'_Correct! Ah…another Granger-Weasley I see! Lovely! Now I get the two of your brains! Oh what fun I will have with you! Anyways, mosey on in first years and get to bed!_'

The door swung open and eight first years poured in along with four of the older Prefects.

Several pats were placed on Hugo's back as he entered, just as what had happened to her.

"Hey Hugo! Nice answering of the riddle! Glad to see mom's brains wriggled their way in there somewhere!" Rose snickered as she one-arm hugged her brother.

"Ack geroff sis! Not in public!" he swatted her arm away, only making Rose giggle more.

"Silly brother…you know embarrassing you is my job…" Rose scolded, but she let go anyways, a big grin on her face. "Now go write to mom and dad, and leave a little space for me on the end! Oh and a space to leave a blurb about our classes. Good thing tomorrow's Sunday. Free day! You can find out where all your classes are with your new friends! Now go discover the wonders of your room…" she shoved Hugo in the direction of the dormitories with a silly smile on her face.

"You're crazy Rose," Albus said, laughing. Rose smirked.

"Yep, I'm absolutely bonkers. Now if you boys excuse me, I'm off to bed…"

Rose turned to the stairs and flounced up them, leaving a laughing Scorpius and Albus in her wake.

"Come on Scorpius, we're thirteen now! You're about to turn fourteen! Soon other guys are going to start looking at Rose like you do, no matter how much it creeps me out to say that. Keep tabs on her, OK?" Albus groaned, running his hand through his hair and messing it up, making some first and second year girls giggle as he flashed them a smirk.

"If you're going to keep doing that, I'm going to have to restrain you. For heaven's sake Al, turn off the charm…" Scorpius shook his head as Albus laughed.

"Well trust me. After that Underwood kid, remember, he won't be the only one. I've even seen Jacob looking her way a few times. Or that Alex from Gryffindor. There are a lot of boys that look at Rose in a way that makes me want to strangle them. I hate it. Don't let anyone hurt Rose, OK? Especially not you…"

Scorpius looked at Albus, confused.

"Look, I know you still like her, and she may not look at you the same. But deep down I know there's something there. Not sure what, but she's afraid of it…Or at least, that's what mum says…"

"Wait…you talked to your mum about me and Rose?" Scorpius looked at him, his face full of fear. "Seriously?"

"It's OK. Mum is the best Secret Keeper around. I've never heard her spill one. Bet she'd even keep it if tortured."

"Fine, but still freaky man." Scorpius shook his head.

"Anyways, I'm off to bed as well. Coming?" Albus asked.

"No, I'm going to stick around here for a little longer, then I'll head up to bed. Night Al."

"Night Scorpius," and with that, Albus left.

Scorpius stared into the last dregs of the fire, his mind blank, as the last students headed up to bed.

His tired eyes scanned the room, finding no one left, so he decided to head up to bed, as there was nothing else to do.

…

The cold beginning of November found the three Ravenclaws sitting in a huddle under a tree near the lake, mulling over a jar of glowing blue flames.

"Remind me again where you learned this spell from Rose?" Albus asked.

"I told you Al, mum did it all the time in school. You can carry it around, and it never goes out! Genius!" Rose grinned at her handiwork.

Scorpius glanced furtively to the castle. "And remind me again why we are not inside?" he asked.

"Because guys, now that Felicia is free of detention, she has taken to following me around like a hawk and jinxing me whenever a Professor isn't looking. And you promised to keep an eye on me," Rose smirked.

"Right," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, the first Hogsmeade trip is next weekend, are you guys going?" Scorpius asked.

"Yep, mum signed my form in a heartbeat," Rose replied.

"As did my dad. He didn't want me missing out like he had. Well that hadn't stopped him from sneaking out there anyways…" Rose laughed as Albus ran his hand through his hair.

Albus tended to do that a lot lately, but usually only when girls were around. Sure enough, when Rose turned her head, there was a gaggle of third year girls heading down to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Albus, you are such a guy!" she said, reaching over and mussing his hair up even more. Albus groaned and attempted to fix it, only making Rose and Scorpius laugh.

"So Al, has the Captain put up training schedules yet?" Scorpius asked.

"No. But he said it will be up by next week. Rose you really should have tried out! I can't believe you managed to escape us again! Luckily the Keeper is a seventh year again. I swear we will force you next year…"

"Well we should head inside; Felicia has Divination now if I'm correct, so she can't bother me. We can go get a snack in the Kitchens!" Rose suggested, changing the subject, picking up her jar.

The boys got to their feet and followed Rose inside. Albus was still trying to fix his hair, while Scorpius tried to do anything he could but look at Rose.

Inside the castle, Rose extinguished her flames and vanished the jar to her room. Removing her outer cloak, she vanished that as well, and the boys copied her actions.

"Well, let's go get a snack, and maybe play some Exploding Snap in the Great Hall until lunch?" suggested Albus. Rose and Scorpius agreed, and they headed down the stairs.

Just as they reached the tapestry with the bowl of fruit on it, a boy wearing distinct Gryffindor colors approached them.

"Hey guys. Do you mind if I speak with Rose for a minute. I – er – need to discuss the Arithmancy homework with her," said Alex Davies. He was in their year, and like he said, in Rose's Arithmancy class.

Rose gave him a funny look, and Scorpius eyed the boy waringly. Albus looked as if he didn't even care, and tickled the pear on the portrait. "Sure Alex. We'll be inside Rose."

Grabbing Scorpius by the arm, he hauled him in the kitchen, but not before pulling out two extendable ears and slipping them under the door with a concealment charm.

Rose turned to Alex. "So, what did you want to know? Was it about the word problem? I found that a little tricky…but I got it eventually – "

"Er no, Rose. This actually has nothing to do with the homework. I just didn't want to do this in front of the protection patrol in there," he said, indicating in the direction where Scorpius and Albus had vanished.

Scorpius blanched as he heard this, and Albus looked at him sympathetically. Then again, Albus _had_ warned him.

"Oh…" Rose said, blushing slightly. "What is 'this' exactly?"

Alex's ears tinged pink a little, and Rose thought this oddly cute.

"Well, with the up and coming Hogsmeade trip and all…I just thought, maybe you'd like to go with me. Like on a date?" he asked sheepishly.

"Er, well you see Alex. I kind of promised Al and Scorpius I'd go with them, seeing as how they don't have dates and I'd feel bad for bailing on them. So I'll have to pass this time. Maybe next trip?" Rose smiled tentatively.

"Oh…yes of course. I'll see you around!" he scratched his head awkwardly before heading back upstairs.

Rose felt horrible, but she had promised the guys she would go with them.

Entering the kitchen, Albus and Scorpius pounced on her, asking question after question. Finally Rose had had enough.

"Look, if you were going to spy on me, I wouldn't have sent you in the Kitchens in the first place. I told him I couldn't go with him, happy?"

Scorpius felt his heart break a little at the look on her face. It was a mixture between hurt and rejection. He couldn't let himself be the cause of that pain.

"Rose. Go with Alex."

"What?" Rose looked at him incredulously.

"Go with Alex. Al and I will be fine. We're not letting you miss out on a chance like this – " that pained Scorpius so much to say, and Albus looked at him strangely from behind Rose. "Besides, we'd get more chicks if you weren't around." Scorpius winked at her, although he was just trying to hide his own insecurity.

"Seriously Scorp?" Scorpius winced at the nickname, but nodded, "Thanks!"

"Go tell him now, before he asks someone else!" Scorpius said, before ushering her out the door.

Rose pecked him on the cheek lightly, before whispering, "Thanks Scorpius," and giving him the brightest smile he had ever seen, before running out the door.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Albus groaned out. "You dolt! What if he charms her with his ways? You know how Alex is!"

"I know. But I couldn't see her hurting. I'd rather see her happy with someone else, than upset because she didn't try."

"Oh Merlin, you've gone soft on me!" Grabbing a French bread loaf, he smacked Scorpius playfully over the head.

"Hey! Watch it, or I'll sick Felicia on you. You know how much she liiiikes you!" Albus' face blanched.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh I would…" Scorpius grinned evilly.

With a huff, Albus grabbed a stack of cauldron cakes that the elves had brought over in the wake of their spying, said his thanks and left, dragging Scorpius behind him.

…

"Remind me _again_ why I agreed to let her go?" Scorpius groaned from across the Three Broomsticks, as Rose giggled in the corner booth seated across from Alex Davies.

"Because you're sodding _in love_ with her," came a female voice from behind them.

There sat Sarah across from Jacob and Tyler, who were too busy chatting with each other to even notice her presence.

"Not you too…" Scorpius groaned, running his hand over his face.

"Scorpius, I hate to break it to you, but everyone can tell. You practically radiate 'I love Rose Weasley' all day long. Might as well tattoo it to your forehead!"

"Lovely…" Scorpius let his head fall to the table.

"Anyways, Al, I heard your Uncle got a new shop set up here in Hogsmeade. I was hoping maybe you'd want to check it out?" asked Sarah.

Scorpius turned to look at the girl. A slight pink tinge brushed her cheeks as she had said this, but of course, the self-proclaimed 'non-oblivious' Albus never noticed a thing. Oh this would be payback…

"Sure Sarah…come on Scorpius."

"Nah Albus, I've seen your Uncle's store enough. A Hogsmeade branch shouldn't be that different. I'm going to keep an eye on Rose," turning he winked at Sarah, only making her blush more.

Shrugging, Al grabbed his coat and led Sarah out of the pub.

Grabbing a fresh Butterbeer, Scorpius slid in the chair opposite Jacob and Tyler.

"I can't believe that Burrow kid even made the team. He's a terrible Keeper. It's a shame no one else tried out…" Jacob groaned.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "I know. Rose should try out, but every year she evades Albus and me, subsequently missing try-outs. You guys should help us force her next year!"

"Sure!" Tyler replied eagerly. "Anything to see our team actually win the Quidditch cup. Don't get me wrong, Albus is an amazing Seeker, but it doesn't help when he catches the snitch when the other team is ahead by more than 150 points." Groaning, Tyler finished his Butterbeer.

"So Scorpius, I see Rose is on a _date_ with _Alex Davies_…Chaser on the Gryffindor Team, top marks in his House, son of Roger Davies and Parvati Patil….need I go on?" Jacob snickered. Scorpius darkened.

"Shut it. Yeah Rose is on a _date_ – " he practically spat the word, "So what?"

"Oh ho! Scorpius is _jealous_!" Tyler cooed.

"_Am not..._" Scorpius hissed. But that only made Tyler and Jacob laugh harder. Scorpius crossed his arms like a child and sunk down in his chair. "_Wankers_…"

"So Alex. What do you think of what Professor Vector was talking about yesterday in Arithmancy? I think it's fascinating that Muggles have electronic contraptions that do all of that work for them! I wish I had one for class, but electronics obviously don't work in the castle…" Rose continued to ramble.

"Rose, how about we stop talking about school, and let's talk about each other. For example, tell me about your family," Alex smirked.

"Oh! Well er…my family's not that interesting, really…"

"Yes they are! I mean come on! You're the daughter of Ron Weasley _and _Hermione Granger. That's got to count for something!" Alex's grin grew.

He was _way_ too interested in her family. It irked Rose.

"Well Mum works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She used to work in Magical Creature Welfare, but she was promoted. It's a pretty cool job. And dad's an Auror with my Uncle Harry. But he helps my Uncle George out with the Weasley Joke Shop all the time."

"How about your aunts and uncles? What do they do?"

"Well, Uncle Percy is Senior Undersecretary to Minister Shacklebolt, and his wife Audrey works as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts. Same with Uncle Bill. He's the one that introduced Percy and Audrey. Aunt Fleur works at Gringotts as well, and her daughter Victoire is now working in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement with my mum. Teddy isn't too far off, in the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, taking over from Grandpa Weasley. Uncle George runs his shop, of course, and his wife Angelina is an Unspeakable. Really cool actually. And then there's, of course, Uncle Harry, who is currently an Auror. And Aunt Ginny, she used to be a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, but is now a sportswriter for the Daily Prophet."

"Sounds like a lot to handle…exactly how many Weasley cousin's are there anyways?"

"Well there's myself and Hugo; James, Albus and Lily; Victoire, Dominique and Louis – he'll be here next year; Molly and Lucy; and Fred and Roxanne. And Teddy of course."

"Wow…holidays must be…fun?" he gave Rose a chagrined smile.

"Yeah. And then not only do we have immediate family, but close friends as well. So there's Professor Longbottom and his wife Hannah, who might I add is pregnant with her fourth child that is bound to pop out sometime this week, and their kids Frank, Alice, and Thomas. And then Miss Luna and her husband Rolf, and their twins Lorcan and Lysander. They're the same age as Louis. It can get a bit hectic…

"So how about you? Any family secrets?" Rose inquired.

"Honestly, it's just my dad, mum and me. Well, there's my Aunt Padma and her husband Marcus Belby. They don't have any kids as they are too busy travelling the world. So needless to say, it's just us."

"Well maybe this Christmas you're family can join our family! I bet it would be fun!" Rose's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Seriously? You mean that?" Rose nodded, "Well I will have to ask my parents, but they both knew your parents, so I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem!"

Scorpius turned. He had sure he had just caught the words 'Christmas' and 'family' come from Rose's mouth. Seriously?

Scorpius had never been invited over for Christmas. Not even for the summer. Even though he had invited _them_ to his house.

Jacob and Tyler could swear there was steam coming from his ears. Scorpius was angry, and this was not a good sign. As Scorpius stood up, the two went to grab for his arms, but they were too late. All they could do then was follow behind him.

Scorpius approached their table, not even sure of what he was going to do. Rose was talking animatedly with Alex, and it only proceeded to piss him off even more.

When he was in front of their table, he put on a big grin.

"Hullo Rose. _Alex_," turning to Rose, he smirked. "Just thought I'd let you know, _we're_ going back to the castle. As in _you too_. I promised Albus I'd keep an eye on you, and if I'm going back to the castle, so are you." Grabbing Rose by the arm, he gave it a tug.

"_Excuse me_?" Rose asked, malice in her voice, as she yanked her arm back. Alex wasn't looking too happy. Good. Serves him right.

"You heard me loud and clear, we're leaving."

Pulling on her arm once more, he successfully succeeded in dragging her out of the Three Broomsticks.

Jacob and Tyler stayed behind to apologize to Alex.

"Sorry mate, Scorpius is in a bit of a mood. You see we're pretty sure he's in love – "

Quickly Tyler covered Jacob's mouth. "He woke up on the wrong side of the bed mate. Look if it means anything to you, it looks like Rose was really into your date and all. Give it another go sometime…_without_ letting Scorpius know, OK?"

Alex nodded, and Jacob and Tyler turned and left behind Scorpius and Rose.

"You have NO RIGHT…Scorpius, _let me go_…" she spat venomously.

"No. Rose, Alex is only into you because your family is famous. See how much he asked about your _family_. Normal people don't act that way. Do you see me asking about every member of your family? _No_."

"Scorpius. He was just curious. Ever think that maybe he cares? And if he were ever to meet my family, wouldn't it be good to know some things about them?" Rose was fuming, "And you don't care, which is why you don't even bother asking. That's because you're a _Malfoy_. It's in your blood _not to care_."

Scorpius froze. This had been the first time that Rose had used the Malfoy card on him.

Rose realized Scorpius had stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. When she saw he wasn't moving, she took a step towards him. "Malfoy…?"

Scorpius looked at her. Her auburn Granger-Weasley hair was blowing lightly in the wind, her Ravenclaw scarf tight around her neck. And yet Scorpius found that after what Rose had said, he didn't see that same spark in her like before.

"Go back to your date _Weasley_. I'm sure Alex is just about ready to jump into bed with you. Sure you'll get along great," pushing past Rose he headed up to the castle.

"Scorpius!" Rose cried out. But he didn't turn back. _What had she done?_

* * *

**A/N:** So? What did you all think?

Oh and I wanted to let anyone know who was ever planning to read my other story, I have put off re-writing it until I'm finished this one. It's just too hard with two plot lines going at the same time. And also, the Katie/Oliver one I'm writing, I'm doing it over. The plot was stupid, totally unrealistic and just didn't work any more. I still will be writing it, just when I'm done this or in my spare time!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is so short compared to the others, but it was necessary in order to work.

Hmm...I have an addiction. It's called Starkid. And all of their music. Especially AVPM/S. I've managed to put all of their songs in order in my playlist the way they go in the musicals :) Win. Anyways, here's chapter six!

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

Rose stared glumly out the window of the train. Alex and his parents had had … well a decent time with her family, but Scorpius was right. All he cared about was their fame, and constantly asking questions about the war. And no one had told her that his father had once dated her Aunt Fleur. She was the most fed up with Roger out of anyone, except for Bill and Parvati. Near the last few days, everyone had found them quite annoying. So they had left her home around two days ago, with the pretext of wanting to see Roger's parents, but Rose knew that they knew Roger and Alex were being an annoying prats.

Teddy had glamorously proposed to Victoire on New Year's Eve, and Victoire immediately approached me with a list of ideas already. She wanted a summer wedding, so everyone could attend, just like her parents. But not until the next year.

She hadn't heard from Scorpius since that week in November. In all of her classes he had sat as far from her as possible. If she entered the Common Room while he was there, he would leave. She had even tried going up to his dorm room, but there was some sort of shield against her on it. And having read _Hogwarts: A History_ hundreds of times, she knew that wasn't a normal barrier, and Scorpius must have placed it there himself.

Granted Scorpius was fine with Albus, but only when Rose wasn't around. Albus had grudgingly taken her side, but Rose let him hang out with Scorpius. She wasn't angry with Scorpius anymore, and just wished she had her friend back.

Sighing she laid her head against the cool glass of the window. She was in a compartment by herself; Albus having left to sit with Scorpius, Dominique had run off to find the Gryffindors, and Hugo and Lily hadn't been seen since they'd gotten on the train.

Soon sleep overrode her mind, and she had drifted off into a deep slumber.

…

"Scorpius. Come on man, this is the longest you guys have gone without talking. Almost as long as when I ignored Rose in first year, remember?"

"Yeah, I know Al. But she pulled the _family_ card, and hasn't even apologized. I don't even think she realized what she had done!" Scorpius' face drooped. Great, he had accidently told Albus why he hated Rose so much.

"Wait, what? I thought you were mad at her for going out with Davies! You never said anything about that. I can't believe Rose would – "

"Al, it's OK. I didn't tell you, because I knew you would get mad like this."

"Oh."

"Yeah. She said, and I quote 'That's because you're a _Malfoy_. It's in your blood _not to care_.' … Honestly. She met my father, as did you. Did he seem like he didn't care? Inviting you all over this summer was _his_ idea! Not mine!" Groaning he ran a hand through his hair. "Nothing can hurt me as much as that did. She insulted not only _me_ but my _family_. It's going to be hard to forgive her, and she needs a damn good case to back her up."

Albus tried to look anywhere but at Scorpius. "I kind of know how you felt back in first year, you know? Being in the middle. I mean, granted now I'm mad at Rose for saying those things, but I'm not going to abandon her just because I know she was wrong. You have every right to, however, so be my guest."

Rose lurched forward as the train stopped. Luckily they didn't need to have their robes on when they arrived, as Rose had not changed into hers and they were already in Hogsmeade. Grabbing her rucksack that she had kept her things in, she left her lonely compartment and made her way off the train, mingling into the other students who had returned from their Holidays.

Happily she ran into Sarah and Connie as they were exiting the train.

"Where were you guys to? I looked around, but couldn't find anyone!" Rose exclaimed.

"Oh. We were sitting with Al and Scorpius…" Connie replied, although there was pity in her voice.

"Oh." Rose felt disheartened, but Sarah gave her a look of clear apology. "That's OK. I caught up on some missed sleep that was thwarted by my outrageously large family."

Sarah nodded. "All Albus could do was complain about how annoying Alex was. Was he really that bad?"

"Yeah guys. He was _that bad_. And I feel terrible, Scorpius tried to warn me that day in Hogsmeade, and I blew him off."

"According to him, you did more than blow him off…" Connie mumbled, but Rose managed to catch it.

"Huh?"

"He said you pulled the _Malfoy _card Rose," Sarah said sheepishly.

"Oh man, _that's_ what he's been mad about this whole time? Oh Merlin I need to apologize for that. I had completely forgotten saying that, honestly. I thought it was about the whole idea of insulting him and going out with Alex!"

"He's also upset because you've basically only known Alex for a little while, and you invited him to Christmas. Yet you've known Scorpius for three years and never invited him once…" Connie said, eyeing her nail beds as if they were more interesting than what she was telling Rose.

Rose nearly dropped everything in her arms. "Oh _Merlin_! I am the worst friend in the _world_! I did the number one thing that you're not supposed to do!" Sarah looked at Rose funny, so she continued, "I put a stupid relationship before my friends…Merlin's pants!"

Rose was definitely the worst friend ever, and there was Scorpius being the best friend she could ever want. Even though he was still mad at her, he still managed to send her a Christmas present. Good thing she hadn't given up on him and had bought one as well that she returned with his owl he had sent.

Rose fiddled with the Charm bracelet she had received last year for her birthday that she had finally managed to find. It had fallen into a pair of socks in her trunk, and she found it there the morning before leaving for the Holidays. Luckily no one in the family had noticed it was missing, Aunt Angelina would surely have been angry, as well as James and his friends, who had given her all the charms, and the subsequent ones added on after from various family members.

Sighing, Rose was quiet the rest of the carriage ride up to the school. She had attempted to find Scorpius, but his carriage must have already left.

Scorpius wasn't in the Common Room either, or in his room according to Tyler whom she had run in to. So Rose decided to just go to dinner and see if he was at the table or not.

Entering the Great Hall, Rose made her way to the Ravenclaw table, hoping to find either Al or Scorpius, but all she could see was Albus, sitting with Jacob and Tyler, and this fifth year girl whose name escaped Rose.

Just as Rose turned to sit with Sarah, Rose did a double take. No, the random girl was not just sitting there. She was practically in Scorpius' _lap_. Rose's jaw dropped, and she felt something akin to tears prick at her eyes. _Wait a second_! Why was she _crying_?

Her sadness immediately turned to anger, forcing her to lose her appetite and she strode right back out the way she had come, up the stairs and straight to Ravenclaw Tower.

Looking at the Eagle, she waited for the riddle.

'_Back so soon, Miss Weasley. Alright, I'll have to give you a new riddle; you figured the other one out too fast for my liking_.'

Pausing for a moment, the Eagle continued,

'_A headless man had a letter to write  
__It was read by a man who had lost his sight  
__The dumb repeated it word for word  
__And deaf was he who listened and heard._'

Rose stared bewildered at the Eagle. This had been one of the only few times a riddle had stumped her. Scratching her head, she thought hard.

"Er. By letter, does it mean like a letter you would send in the mail? Because that wouldn't make sense. Unless it was just _a letter_ like the letter 'K' or the letter 'R'…something like that."

'_You're on the right track Miss Weasley! I daresay this is one of the trickiest riddles I have given…two seventh years couldn't solve it only moments ago._'

"So if it's a letter of the alphabet…um…Oh! Maybe…no…I'm not sure. Oh this is _tricky_. Let's see. What if it was a letter that could represent something?"

'_Quite right Miss! You're very warm!_'

"Oh! I think I got it! It's sort of like that riddle you gave once, where the answer was nothing! In this case, the letter is 'O' … like the number _zero_. So the man had _zero_ to write, or _nothing_. The blind can't read unless it's Braille, so he reads _nothing_. The dumb person will repeat _nothing_ as they don't understand it. And the deaf man would hear _nothing_ anyways."

'_You are quite correct Miss Weasley! I'll have you know that your brain must be very powerful to get that one! Congratulations!_'

And with that the door opened.

Climbing up to her bedroom, she strode to her bed. Thanks to the riddle, her anger had dissipated, as hard thinking calmed her down. But it was still present.

Pulling out her wand, she transfigured an old pair of her socks into a nice glass vase. Turning, she put a silencing charm on the door, then without hesitation, picked up the vase and gave it a heave at the nearest wall.

The shattering of the glass mixed with her angry scream calmed her down substantially, and Rose felt her anger disappear. Why should she be angry? Scorpius had every right to snog whom he wanted to. Who cares if it was some stupid _fifth year_ while they were only in third. It's not like Rose was even friends with Scorpius anymore.

Removing the silencing charm off the door, she cleaned up her mess, and sat on her four poster bed. Thankfully they had arrived back on a Friday, so there wouldn't be classes for another two days.

Closing her eyes, she laid back, much more relaxed then before. Yes, it didn't matter who Scorpius dated. In fact, maybe she should help Al get a girlfriend two. Merlin knows he needed one about now.

Slowly Rose drifted off to sleep, hoping for peaceful dreams, but instead she had a restless night, tossing and turning.

…

"Hey, Al, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Al was steadily becoming closer friends with Scorpius, and Rose had rarely seen him over the last month. Her birthday was on Monday, and she wanted to make sure that Al hadn't forgotten he was taking her to Hogsmeade tomorrow to pick out a gift.

"Sure Rose," standing up, Al followed her out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall. "So what did you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tomorrow?"

Al scrunched up his nose. _Great, he's forgotten…I'll just remind him now…_

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Hogsmeade? Me…You…Birthday gift?" Rose smiled.

Al looked at Rose with pity on his face. "Oh Rose, don't you know? I'm spending the day with Sarah! Her mom is coming along, and she needed someone to play her boyfriend for the day. And … well … I couldn't say no …" grinning like a child, he scratched his neck. "But we're cool, right?"

Rose looked at him, already feeling the tears build up. "Yeah…yeah, OK. You can always get me a present on the next trip over Valentine's…"

"I – er, well I can't Rose. Sarah asked me to spend it with her, so she can thank me for tomorrow…"

"Oh. OK…" Now Rose was feeling dejected. She had no one left to spend her birthday weekend with. Scorpius wouldn't even talk to her, Sarah was with Al, and Connie was with Felicity. All of her cousins were busy as well, what with James and his friends planning a major prank for tomorrow, Dominique had a date, even Hugo and Lily were busy. Together.

"Thanks Rose, I knew you'd understand. Look, I'll just get mum to pick you something out. You always like what she gets!" Giving Rose a hug, he ran back in the Great Hall.

Once again Rose didn't feel like eating, so she spent the remainder of her evening sleeping in her bed.

…

Rose stayed in bed all weekend, not even moving to get food. She really wasn't in the mood. Sarah was growing concerned, and mentioned it to Albus, but he couldn't do anything, what with her being in the girl's dorm.

Her stomach growled, but she ignored it, even though it had been more than twenty four hours since she had eaten food. But that didn't matter to her, she was losing her friends and no one had wanted to spend a waking moment with her – or that's what she made herself believe.

Monday morning Rose crawled out of bed before anyone had woken up so she could get a shower in peace. Raking her wand over her hair to clean it, she sighed in the hot water.

With her shower complete, she dressed and then made her way downstairs. She didn't plan on eating breakfast, so with her books in hand, she traipsed outside, as they had Care of Magical Creatures first, and she fancied a visit with Hagrid.

Rose beamed at Hagrid's cabin. Since the original had burned down in the Battle of Hogwarts, they had built him a much nicer one, that was better for the size of him. Knocking on the door, she waited.

"Rosie! How wonderful to see yer! Come in, come in! It's quite cold out terday. Fancy a cup a tea?"

Rose nodded her head and sat at his enormous table. She could hear the kettle boiling and smiled. Hagrid had always been there for her when, no one else had, so she relished in their special alone time that they rarely got.

Pouring up her tea in a bucket sized mug, Hagrid grinned.

"Guess wha' Rosie?" he asked mischievously.

"What Hagrid?"

"It'syerberthdayan'igotssomethen'ferye…" he said super fast.

"What?"

"It's yer berthday an' I gots somethin' fer ye!" he said, pulling out a badly wrapped orange package.

"Aw Hagrid! You shouldn't have!"

Rose stared in awe at the package, as tears formed in her eyes. She didn't think anyone would remember. Pulling on the strings, she opened it to find an odd brown, furry pouch inside.

"That's called mokeskin. I bought it the other day down'n the pub. Same guy who sold me ther one I gave ter yer Uncle Harry back when he was in school for 'is seventeenth berthday. I was gunner wait 'til yer seventeenth, but I thinks yer deserves it now."

Rose started crying then, thinking that Hagrid had done something so sentimental. "But why me? Why not James, Albus or Lily?"

"Because yer would be the only one ter appreciate it. An' I'm closer ter yer than any o' them. It's really a neat thing. Only the owner can open it an' retrieve wha's inside."

Rose threw her arms around Hagrid in the biggest hug she could muster. "Thanks Hagrid!"

"Anyways, it's class time. Better be gettin' outside."

Finishing off the last dregs of her tea, she followed Hagrid out of his hut, swiping the tears from her eyes just in time, as some of her classmates had arrived.

Spotting Sarah and Al, she stood near them, hoping maybe one of them would acknowledge her birthday. However neither did.

Lumbering back up to the Castle, Rose really didn't feel in the mood to go to History of Magic, so when she got there, she pulled one of her favourite skiving candies from her satchel and bit into it. Fever Fudge, perfect.

Entering the class, she told Ashley Harper, a fellow third year in Slytherin, that she was sick and to tell Binns she was gone. Ashley nodded, noticing how red Rose had gone, and Rose could feel her whole body heating up.

Heading to the West Tower, she decided to see if any post had come for her this morning. Swallowing the second half of her fudge, she was delighted to feel her body cool down.

Climbing the stairs, she entered the Owlery. Looking around she finally found her owl, and sure enough it was seated on a large bag that appeared to be full of tiny boxes and a letter.

Grasping the letter first, she read:

_Dear Rose,_

_Happy fourteenth birthday sweetheart!  
__We miss you here at home now, but we'll see you for a few days at Easter, remember?  
__Anyways, here are all of your birthday gifts, from everyone in the family, as usual shrunk down so I wouldn't kill your poor owl. Your father wishes you the best as well, and wishes you the best in your studies!  
__We love you honey, keep up the great work!_

_Love,  
__Mum_

Opening the bag, she grinned at all of her presents. She could open these in her dorm, as everyone was in class.

Once she was successfully seated on her bed, one by one she expanded the presents to their original size with a simple _Finite_.

The first, from her mum, was a lovely pair of winter boots that were brown with little broomsticks on them. Rose grinned. Her father had added his own addition to the gift of a matching pair of gloves and hat.

Among the other gifts she found a new chess set from Harry; a new dress robe from Ginny; Bill and Fleur had gotten her a new lunascope for Astronomy; Charlie had sent her a dragon's claw, '_which some people claimed could make you smarter!_' he had said in a letter; Miss Luna had sent her an old set of Spectrespecs and a copy of the manuscript of the novel her and her husband had just completed; Professor Longbottom had sent her not only some new books, but pictures of their new baby, Lydia. But her favourite gift came from George and Angelina.

George and Angelina had gotten her an assortment of Wheezes and several sets of earrings that Rose couldn't wait to wear. But the last part was her favourite. Someone must have tipped them off about how Albus had been acting towards her lately, as it was a button that flashed back and forth between two things. The first being '_Weasley is our Queen!_' and a picture of her face, and then switching to a picture of Al – that looked surprisingly like his father, saying '_Potter Stinks!_'

Rose laughed. She had heard of similar buttons in the past, her Uncle George must have modified them. As before, the 'Potter Stinks!' one had been used for the Triwizard tournament to support Cedric Diggory, and the other to support her father…well insult him in the case of the Slytherins…when he had been Keeper.

Putting the pin on, Rose put the rest of her gifts away, and then decided to head down for lunch, as she was finally in the mood for food.

Several people pointed at her badge, laughing or giving her weird looks. Rose only grinned and continued on to the Great Hall.

Entering, she made her way to the Ravenclaw table, sitting besides Sarah and tucking into a piece of steak and kidney pie.

"Hey Rose!" she said, "What happened to you in History of Magic?" she asked.

"Oh, I skived off. I wasn't in the mood."

"Understandable, you have every reason to skive off today," reaching under the table, she pulled out a small box. "Happy birthday!"

Rose smiled; Sarah hadn't forgotten.

"Albus has something for you too! We picked them up in Hogsmeade. By the way…nice button!" Sarah snorted.

"I know right? Came from my uncle. I think I'll wear it from now on…" Rose grinned and began opening the box.

Inside was something that she had never seen before.

"It's called a 'Jammer'. Basically, think of any music you want to hear, and tap your wand to it, and it will play it!"

"Wow! That's so cool! Thanks Sarah!" giving her a sideways hug, Rose finished off her meal, but she felt a little queasy, as it had been a while since she had eaten.

Rose held onto her stomach, making Sarah give her a look of concern

"You OK?" she asked. Rose nodded, although that was far from correct. Standing up, Rose made to leave the Great Hall. Turning, she nearly bumped into Scorpius and Al.

"Oh…er, hey," she said, feeling her stomach turn from her sharp spin.

"Hey Rose! Happy birthday!" said Al, handing Rose a small blue bag. But then he noticed the button on her shirt, "Hey isn't that –"

Rose ignored what Albus was about to say about the button and interrupted him. "Thanks Al! Well I better go…"

As Rose moved to leave, Albus nudged Scorpius in the side. Wincing Scorpius gave Albus a glare, but swiftly reached out and grabbed onto Rose's arm.

Rose looked down at Scorpius' hand, surprised. "Uh, yes?" she asked, trying to sound kind, and not angry like she was feeling.

"Er – happy birthday Rose," reaching out, he handed her a small box with a neat little bow on it.

Rose froze. Was he serious?

"You got me a pretty cool gift, and I still had the gift I had gotten for you at the end of last summer…" he said, scratching the back of his neck out of nervousness.

"Thanks Scorpius," Rose said, before turning and leaving the Great Hall.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Albus chided the blonde next to him.

"Yes it was. Now if you don't mind, I'm eating, so stop pestering me," Scorpius gave Al a glare, telling him to knock it off, but it had no affect on Al, who just kept chattering away.

"_Sooo_…what did you get her?"

Scorpius narrowed his eyes, "None of your business."

…

Sitting on her bed, after having to take an anti-nausea potion in the Hospital Wing, Rose decided to open her presents.

Opening Al's, she grinned when she saw the book, '_How to be the _Best_ Keeper_'. He was never going to give up on her!

Her fingers trembled, however, when it came to Scorpius' gift, and she nearly fumbled it.

Pulling the bow off, she opened the cover, and inside was a small note.

_Dear Rose,_

_I'm sorry for the way I've been acting; I've been a total jerk. But for once, I'm not the only one at fault here.  
__You _really_ hurt me when you said that Malfoy's don't care, because that is _far_ from true.  
__For one, I really care about you. And Al. You're my closest friends, in fact, you're my best friends, and nothing should come between that. And I've been letting something so stupid come between us.  
__I know I can forgive you. It will just be a little rough at first. I just need to know if you can forgive me.  
__Consider this gift not only a birthday gift, but as an apology.  
__Go ahead, look at it now! I know you want to!  
__Here's to hoping all of your dreams come true!_

_Your friend (I hope),  
__Scorpius_

Reaching up, Rose wiped the tears from her eyes.

Reaching into the box, Rose's fingers laced around something circle shaped. Pulling it out, she was surprised to see the most beautiful dream catcher she had ever seen, with ornate jewels and phoenix feathers hanging from unicorn hair strings. Rose stared at the decoration in awe, and immediately hung it above her headboard on her bed.

The jewels sparkled in the light coming through the window, making a rainbow across her bed, and Rose smiled. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever received.

Rose knew she had to see Scorpius as soon as possible, unfortunately it was class time, and she no longer sat near Scorpius in any class. It would have to wait until after Transfiguration; before lunch.

Sitting down in Potions, Rose couldn't keep the goofy grin off of her face, forcing the Hufflepuff that sat beside her to look at her funny. Who cared though? All Rose could think about was getting her friend back.

Luckily today they were brewing Hate Potion, a potion that counteracted the effects of a Love Potion, so it should be a fairly simple class.

Or that's what she thought.

Rose had frightened the poor girl beside her so much with her over-happiness, that she had accidently sprinkled in twice the amount of ginger root that was needed, and the pot began letting off an acrid smelling red smoke.

The girl squeaked, and began backing away from their table as Rose tried desperately to counteract the effect.

Or at least, that's what she tried to convince herself happened when she awoke in the Hospital Wing two hours later, body covered in large red spots where boils had just healed.

Groaning, she rolled over in the bed she laid in, only to see her Hufflepuff partner beside her, covered in the same red spots, but still unconscious.

Madam Pomfrey bustled in then, letting Rose know she could go back to classes; the red spots would disappear in about ten minutes.

Getting up, Rose left the room and went to re-join the Ravenclaws in Arithmancy, her last class of the day.

It took all of her willpower not to cross the classroom right then and talk with him, but she knew Professor Vector would enter at any moment, and that would not be the best of ideas.

Patience is not a trait she inherited from her mother. In fact, she had inherited no patience whatsoever. So sitting in that desk while something so important hung over her head, forced her to tap her foot impatiently on the floor, whilst simultaneously tapping the end of her quill on her desk. Rose could tell she was annoying the Professor, as he was sullenly eyeing the black marks she was leaving behind with her quill on the desk. A simple _Scourgify_ would suffice in cleaning it up though once class ended.

Finally Professor Vector set the homework and dismissed them, and Rose was out of her chair like a rocket, heading in a beeline straight for Scorpius.

"Hi," Rose said, a blush creeping up her neck unbeknownst to her.

"Hey," he replied coolly.

"Can we talk? _Alone_?" Rose asked, pointing out the door. Scorpius nodded, and Rose led the way to an empty classroom just down the corridor.

"Listen Scorpius – " Rose began, but Scorpius interrupted her by pulling her in for a hug.

Smiling, she hugged him back. "I'm _so sorry_," she said, making sure that he knew this. "It was rude of me to say such a nasty thing, and I one hundred percent take it back!"

"I forgive you Rose, really, I do." Scorpius grinned. "So, did you like your birthday present?"

"No Scorpius. I absolutely do not like it – " it looked like Scorpius was hurt for a moment, but Rose continued, "I love it!" she cried, before hugging him again.

"So, are we OK now?" Rose asked.

"We're OK," Scorpius grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "On one condition…" he smirked.

Rose groaned. "What is it now?"

"_Try out for Quidditch next year_!"

Tugging on a strand of her curly hair, she groaned again. "You are infuriating, but fine. I promise I'll try out next year."

Scorpius grinned and ruffled her hair. "Good Rosie!" only making Rose grumble.

* * *

**A/N:** Aww Rosie and Scorpie friends again :) They couldn't hate each other for long.

Review?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others as well. But I like it too much to add more :)

I wanted to take this time to thank all of my amazing Reviewers so far! I'm way too lazy to list you all here, but you all know who you are :)

PS: Got my life's goal complete. Tyler Brunsman added me on Facebook. Yes that's right that particularly good finder/evil man himself from Starkid added me back! Win! (If you don't know who he is by now, he played Cedric Diggory in AVPM "Hufflepuff's are particularly good finders!" and Lucius Malfoy in AVPS "It sounded forced...") A dur dur dur to you all!

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

"But Rose, you _promised_!" Scorpius whined, pulling on her arm. "Try-outs start in an hour!"

"Yeah Rose, _you promised_!" Albus said, pulling on her other arm, clearly mocking Scorpius.

"_Fine_! But only because you two are so incessant and will never leave me alone if I don't." Rose pulled out the Keeper gloves she had been given two years ago, that had only been fairly worn a few times. Pulling them on her hands, she fastened them up and held them in front of their faces. "Happy?"

"Yes, very, now let's go warm-up!" Scorpius grinned, and pulling her out of the Ravenclaw Common Room with Albus trailing behind.

There were a lot of people already on the Quidditch Pitch when they had arrived. Rose had retrieved her Lightning 260 from the Broom Cupboard, having been in there for a long time and rarely been used, it was slightly dusty. Cleaning it off, she followed Scorpius and Albus, who had retrieved their brooms as well.

On the ground in the pitch, they found around fourteen other hopeful try-outs, and the players who already filled positions on the team. Rose felt her stomach drop, there were at least six other people in Keeper Gear.

The Captain, also Beater for the team, was Ryan Burrow, a seventh year. There beside him stood two of his chasers, one being Scorpius, the other a seventh year whose name escaped her. Obviously a chaser position was open. On his other side stood Mandy Carmichael, the girl she had seen on Scorpius' lap the previous year. She must be the second beater. And then finally, Albus as Seeker.

So all of these students were either here for Chaser or Keeper. Great. Tightening her gloves, she put on her game face and began listening to what the Captain was saying.

" – We're going to start with the chasers, and I count eight of you here not in Keeper uniform. You'll be on one end of the field and I'll ask Mandy here, and myself, we will be aiming countless Bludgers at you. Avoid them all, and you move on."

The students trying for Keeper were aloud to sit on the sidelines and watch, so Rose grabbed a comfy piece of grass and watched the try-outs. Spotting Lorcan and Jacob in the group, she smiled and waved.

After about half an hour of dodging, only three students were left for Chaser. Two boys, one of them being Jacob, the other a sixth year, and the last a fifth year girl. Jacob was actually doing a really good job, and probably had a big chance looking at the other two. Lorcan had skulked off the field. But at least he had done pretty well, he'd only been hit by two bludgers, and the first one should hardly have counted as someone pushed him towards it, and that someone had immediately been hit with two bludgers from the Captain.

Next up was passing, so each of them took turns making passes to each other. Jacob made some pretty amazing passes, even the crowd was 'ooh-ing' and 'ah-ing'. Rose and everyone else wondered hard as to why he had never tried out before, and it was pretty clear who Ryan was going to pick. All that was left was shooting, and Rose was sure he would ace that. Unfortunately that was where the Keepers were asked to step in.

This was where the process would be long and annoying. Each Keeper try-out would face one new Chaser and the two chasers already on the team that would try and make five shots. But they would have to face all chaser hopefuls. In total, having to try and make fifteen saves. Rose's palms were sweating in her gloves as she was given the position of going fifth.

In turn, she watched four people go before her. A seventh year managed to make thirteen saves, the poor third year who went next only made eight and ended up leaving the pitch out of embarrassment at his last miss, a sixth year made twelve saves and a fifth year made twelve as well. Basically Rose had to get _at least_ fourteen saves to even have a shot.

No problem, right?

Gripping her broom tightly, she rose to the sound of cheers from Albus and Scorpius, and groaned. Lovely. Maybe Scorpius would go easy on her a little?

The first new chaser was the other boy, whom Rose thought was named Bradley something or other. He was kind of a rubbish shooter from what Rose had gathered watching him before hand, and as the two other chasers were letting him take the majority of the shots – Scorpius and the other Chaser, Rose was sure his name was Joel, each shot one as well. So thankfully Rose managed to save all five of the shots.

Scorpius beamed at her as Jacob came up from below, ready for his turn.

Jacob, unfortunately got his first shot in, much to Rose's dismay, but Rose managed to block the other four. She couldn't miss any more now, or she would be royally screwed.

The third chaser, Leslie something-or-other, began her turn then. This turn went in such a blur, that by the time it was over, Rose barely registered that she had managed to save all five shots, and her last save was brilliant, having used her head whilst hanging sideways off of her broom to cleanly knock the ball straight to Scorpius.

Rose smiled so widely that she felt like her cheeks were going to rip apart. Who knew trying out would be so much fun? She knew she had a high chance of getting the position, too, as the only two people left, were a second year who looked terrified, and a third year who looked even more afraid and was stumbling over her own feet to get on her broom.

Sure enough, at the end of the try-outs, she had saved the most goals, and it was looking very promising for her and Jacob.

Albus hugged his cousin. He knew she was good; she just had to believe in herself. "Ryan will surely pick you! You should have seen his face when you made that last save! He was in awe!"

"Oh come on Al…I mean that seventh year was pretty amazing as well…" she said, as they walked down the hallways at random.

"Rose, I swear Ryan wasn't impressed with Chambers at all. He was a mess, only saved the other goals because they were mostly shot by the two pieces of rubbish who weren't Jacob. He didn't save one of Jacob's!"

"Fine, OK, just say I have a chance at this…"

"Which you definitely do," interrupted Scorpius smugly.

"Then how do I know it's not because you guys bribed him or something?"

"Trust me. Remember how my dad always spoke of this Oliver Wood guy?" Rose nodded, "Well Ryan Burrow is the same way. Lives, breathes, sleeps, eats and wears Quidditch. Twenty-four – seven. He would never take a bribe."

"Trust me, we tried," Rose glared at Scorpius, "I'm kidding!" he said, laughing as he held his hands up in surrender.

"Anyways, the list will be put up tonight after the team meeting at seven. Unfortunately we're like forced to give an oath not to tell anyone the results before it is posted. So sadly, we won't be able to let you know beforehand – "

"But we'll do our damndest to give you hints!" Scorpius interjected.

"Hints to what?" came a small voice from beside them. Rose smiled as she realized it was Lysander Scamander. He and his twin were exact opposites. Lorcan being vivacious and loud, while Lysander was quiet and reserved. It was a wonder they were both in Ravenclaw, as Lorcan was more of a Gryffindor or Slytherin, while Lysander was like a Hufflepuff, but their mother's genes were clearly prominent in them and their smarts and wits were high for their years.

"To who made the team little squirt!" Albus ruffled the kid's hair, even though we were only three years older then them, he acted as if they were little Clara's age, Hannah's baby girl, who would turn one this year.

Lysander fixed his hair and smirked, "I still can't believe Lorcan tried out. One, he's two young, and two, he's a rubbish chaser. He'd be a better beater, I always tell him. He'd be better off trying out next year when Ryan graduates. I bet Mandy will be Captain next year, and she just loves us!"

Lorcan popped up beside his brother then, blonde hair all mussed from playing, "Yes. Loves how much we annoy her she does. In fact, she's infatuated with telling us to _shove off_. It's as if she's dying for an excuse to talk to us," Lorcan grinned.

"Anyways Lorcan, we got to go. Mum just sent us a package, and hopefully it includes her latest article on the Snorkacks that she wrote!"

Pulling his brother's arm, the twins disappeared down a random hallway.

"Well look boys, your meeting starts in half an hour so you better make your way there. Meanwhile, I'm going to head up to the Tower and wait." Scorpius and Albus nodded, and Rose left them in what appeared to be the second floor corridor.

"So mate. Surprised you didn't tell her how you tried to beg and plead with Burrow, attempting to bribe him with anything you could afford…"

"Shut up Al, I would have felt horrible if I had forced her to go through with it and she never made the team."

"Whatever you say Scorpius. It's a good thing he refused, Rose would have been furious," Al said, laughing at his friend as they made their way to the room that the meeting was assigned to.

Ryan stood before them. "So guys, for Chaser, what are you thinking? Bradley, Jacob, or Leslie? Scorpius and Al, don't be biased to Jacob, consider all options."

"Well – " began Mandy, "That Bradley kid was great, except for shooting, and that's what's most important. And Leslie was good, but she wasn't a strong player. I think Jacob was the best. Anyone else?"

Nods went around the room, and sure enough, everyone voted unanimously for Jacob.

"Now Keeper. We had two good prospects. Chambers and Weasley. Keep in mind, Weasley saved fourteen out of fifteen goals, while Chambers only had twelve. And Weasley's father was Keeper once for Gryffindor, and he won them a lot of games. Chambers only tie was that his father was a chaser for Ravenclaw for one year as a spare."

…

Rose groaned as she heard the five members of the Quidditch team enter the Common Room. She and Jacob had been sitting in quiet anticipation for an hour now. It had taken them that long to make the decision. Maybe they had decided Chambers had better form than her, or was more experienced?

Huffing, her and Jacob sat up, watching as Ryan posted a sheet of paper on the bulletin board across from them.

Throwing themselves from their chair, they rushed across the room and somehow made it before anyone else.

The piece of paper was labelled _Ravenclaw Quidditch Team (2020-2021)_.

Biting her lip, she read down the list:

_Captain, Beater – Ryan Burrow  
__Beater – Mandy Carmichael  
__Chaser – Scorpius Malfoy  
__Chaser – Joel Fawcett  
__Chaser – Jacob Turpin_

At this, Rose squealed out of happiness for her friend, but continued to read:

_Seeker – Albus Potter  
__Keeper – Rose Weasley_

Rose squealed even louder, and wrapped her arms around the nearest person, which happened to be Jacob, and began laughing as he spun her around in the excitement.

From across the room, Scorpius' gaze hardened into a glare, and Albus had to put a hand on his shoulder to steady him from attacking. Surely Rose had just grabbed the nearest person?

Ryan spoke up then, "Congratulations to our newest Team members, Rose Weasley, and Jacob Turpin!" he said, and everyone in the room applauded. Jacob wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders, a grin plastered on his face. Rose, as always, was oblivious to all that was going on around her, and only thinking about how she had made the team.

"I'm going to go owl my dad, see you guys later!" she said, running to her room, she grabbed a piece of parchment, her quill and an ink pot and scurried off to the Owlery.

_Dear Dad – and mum of course!_

_Thought you'd love to know that today I made the House team!  
__I'm Ravenclaw's newest Keeper, just like you dad!  
__And I think that this guy Jacob, who is my friend and also just made the team, might like me…_

She put a charm on that line so only her mother could read it.

_Anyways, hope you guys are swell!_

_Love,  
__Rose_

Tying it to her owl's leg, she sent her letter, then headed back to the Common Room as it was nearing nine o'clock.

"Scorpius. It's just Jacob. He's cool, it could be worse…" Albus tried to calm his friend, who was currently wringing his hands in his lap, as if he was preventing him from hitting something. Probably exactly what he was doing. Rose had just passed them, waving good night and headed up to bed.

"But still, she didn't push him off. You heard the whispers, everyone thinks they're together!" Scorpius sunk further in his seat. "Jacob _knows_. Did you see the smirk that he gave me?"

"Scorpius, he's gloating. It's what Jacob does. The whole Quidditch thing is probably just getting to his head, that's all." Albus was trying desperately to cheer up his friend, but it was to no use.

"Man, I almost lost her last year, and I'll be damned if I lose her again. Jacob better watch his back. Even if he is a good guy, I'm watching him like a hawk."

Groaning, Albus rubbed a hand over his eyes, then proceeded to drag Scorpius up to bed.

…

"Scorpius. I'm asking you. Not Jacob, not Sarah. You. Are you going to come, or what?"

Scorpius still couldn't believe it. Rose was inviting him to her house for Christmas. Granted, he was afraid to spend two weeks in a house with a man who hated him, but he would take his chances. He was sure he was only a last minute choice, and it was probably only out of pity.

Jacob and Rose had been dating now since the try-outs, but he was going away for the holidays. Something to do with his father's parents.

"Rose, how do I know you're not just asking me out of pity, plus the fact that you have no one else to ask? I mean, Jacob's going to Switzerland, Sarah is going to Spain, and my parents are leaving me here as they traipse off to Japan for two weeks."

"Look, Scorpius. Even if those were the reasons, I know you would say yes. So hurry up and agree with me so I can owl mum."

Scorpius groaned, "Fine, I'll go. But only because I don't want to be stuck here with Tyler. By myself."

Rose grinned, and rushed off to the Owlery.

Holding his head in his hands he let out a loud sigh.

"What's got your knickers in a twist Scorp?" came a voice from behind him. Turning Scorpius saw Tyler.

"You know what," was all he replied with.

Tyler patted him on the back, "Bro, if it makes you feel any better, Jacob's been saying how he doesn't like the way you glare at him all the time, and he's thinking of breaking up with her. He said something about 'rather have you as a friend' or some other bollucks." Tyler gave him a weird look. "If you ask me, from what he said, I think he's going gay on me."

Scorpius looked at him, and Tyler actually recoiled from the intensity in his eyes. "Are you serious? He's going to break her heart because of me? Merlin, Tyler, you've got to stop him! Hell, I've got to stop him! Where is he?"

"Er…Quidditch pitch I think. Said he needed to work out some plays…"

"Thanks man!" Scorpius cried as he ran out of the Common Room, the Eagle yelling at him for slamming the door and running.

Once Scorpius reached the pitch he stopped running, having to bend over to capture his breath and wipe some sweat from his brow. Sure enough, there was Jacob flying around the pitch, swerving and manoeuvring his broom in various play formations.

"Hey! Turpin!"

Jacob looked down at him, and the expression on his face turned into a grimace.

"What Malfoy?" he called.

"Get your sodding arse down here for a moment, I need to speak with you!"

Jacob clearly was annoyed that his practising was being interrupted, but he tipped his broom down and landed beside him.

"Yes?" he asked, annoyance in his voice.

"Tyler told me about how your planning to dump Rose!" Scorpius fixed a glare on his face.

"For exactly that reason," Jacob replied, pointing at Scorpius' face. Scorpius dropped the glare.

"Look man, I'll give it up. Just don't break Rose's heart because I would hate myself if I was the cause of her pain," Scorpius' eyes glazed over as he felt pain stabbing him from the inside. It hurt him to admit this, but it was true.

"Seriously? Jeez man, how much do you like the girl to do that?" Jacob rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should just step out of the way. I mean everyone knows she likes you too, I just thought I had a chance, you know? Look, if she means that much to you, I'll leave her be."

"No man. You've got it all wrong. You don't need to step out of the way. I do. It's like they say, you need to put the person you care about before yourself."

And with that, Scorpius turned and left, making his way back to the castle and leaving a very confused Jacob behind.

…

Rose wiped her eyes. She had just gone to say good bye to Jacob, when he dropped that infamous four word sentence on her.

"_Hey Rose…" he said, a sad little smile on his face. Probably didn't want to say good bye._

"_Hi Jacob! I hope you have fun in Switzerland, will you owl me?"_

"_Er Rose. Look, _we need to talk_," he said, staring at his shoes the whole time as if they were the most interesting thing in the entire world._

"_Oh. You're not going now? I'm sure mum won't mind extra company! I can send an owl; it would get there before we would – "_

"_Look Rose. This has been great and all. But the whole point of liking someone, is putting them before yourself."_

_Rose looked at Jacob, confusion etched upon her face. "Huh? Jacob I don't know what you're – "_

"_Roseweneedtobreakup," he said so fast she could barely catch it._

"_What?"_

"_Rose, we need to – break up," he said slower, and grasping onto my hand. "I know this might be confusing, but I just can't go out with you when I have this nagging_ thing _on my mind. It's something I've known about. Well, everyone does, except for you. And I just can't be your boyfriend knowing that was going on. I'm sorry if I've hurt you, I'll make it up to you, I promise! I hope we can still be friends…"_

_Rose stared at him. "Oh…" was all she could say as she felt tears form in her eyes. "Yeah, we can still be friends." Turning away she walked slowly to the train._

And now here she was, sitting alone in a compartment once again, her face against the cool glass, and looking at the wintery country side.

"Rose! There you are!" Rose turned to see Albus in the doorway, and behind him a sullen looking Scorpius. "You invite someone for Christmas, and you don't even sit with them, how rude – "

Albus stopped talking when he noticed the tears on Rose's face.

"Oh Rosie, what happened? Did you miss the snack trolley again? I've got some leftover Drooble's Best Blowing gum, or some Cauldron Cakes."

"That's not it Al," she said, her voice cracking.

The boys entered and sat on either side of her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she cried harder. "Jacob … b-b-broke up-p w-with m-me…"

Scorpius' gaze hardened as Albus only hugged Rose tighter.

"Did he say why?" Albus asked.

"Something about 'putting the person you like before yourself' or something like that…I don't know…" she said as her tears cleared up. Surprisingly most of the pain had already vanished. For now it was mostly out of embarrassment.

Scorpius had to use all of his willpower not to pound Jacob into smithereens; his fists clenched and un-clenched. He had used Scorpius' own words to break up with her? That toe-rag! All Scorpius could do was just hug Rose tight, ignoring the fact of why she was hurting in the first place. For now, she was in his arms, and that was all that mattered.

Rose let out a squeak; Scorpius was holding her way too tightly. "Can't – breathe – "

"Sorry Rose!" he said, before hugging her lightly once and then letting go.

"Thanks boys, I needed that. Really." Rose smiled at her two best friends. What would she ever do without them? "Look I'll be fine, I promise. I'm more in shock then hurt. I guess we didn't have the best relationship in the world, in fact, it wasn't much different then the friendship we had already had…Anyways, I'm not going to bore you with the girly talk, I'll save that for Sarah. For now, let's talk Quidditch."

Albus grinned, he was glad to have his Rose back. But Scorpius could see the pain evident in Rose's eyes. Rose gave him a look as if she wanted him to drop it, then turned to Albus, stealing a Cauldron Cake.

"I still can't believe the first game of the year was wasted on Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff…James obliterated Summerby. That was obviously going to happen!" Rose grinned triumphantly.

"Hang on now; don't they have a really strong team this year? We might have competition in March when we play them…Good thing we play Slytherin first. Their team has done terrible since they let Warrington be Captain!"

"I know, it should have been Vaisey, except she was accidently hit with that memory charm last year, and is now residing in St. Mungo's without a clue in the world who she is, let alone what Quidditch is. They say she has a mentor. Mum and dad said they knew him, some Lockhart fellow. He was the Defence Professor in their second year, but something happened and he lost his memory. I'm pretty sure dad said his broken wand backfired _Obliviate_ at him while they were rescuing Aunt Ginny from the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. He was too afraid to go further in, and thought he'd erase dad's and Uncle Harry's memories and say they'd gone mad!"

"Oh I remember that story Rose!" Albus grinned, "And somehow, in the end, Voldemort had been involved with one of his crazy horcruxes."

"I wish our lives at Hogwarts were that exciting. Granted, I'd rather not face death, but the craziest thing that has happened so far was those spiders in first year. Oh! And having Felicity as a roommate."

Albus snorted, while Scorpius just grinned.

* * *

**A/N:** So? Like it? Hate it? You decide and let me know!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Here's Chapter 8 guys! I hope you like it! It was a bit harder for me to write, but a big Disclaimer here that there are lines taken from Deathly Hallows once again. I took it word for word, but it was necessary! This was a bit of a hard chapter for me to write, but it had to be done. Anyways, here we go!

* * *

CHAPTER 8

"Here's the spare room Scorpius, you can put your things in there," Hermione led the young blonde boy into the room at the end of the hallway. "It's nothing fancy, but if you want me to spruce it up a little, I can!"

"No Mrs. Weasley, it'll be perfect!" Scorpius gave her a real smile and dragged his small piece of luggage for the holidays inside and laid it on the floor.

"OK dear, you can wait with Rose and Hugo while dinner cooks. Should only be another twenty minutes. See you then!"

Leaving him alone, Hermione crossed the hall into her son's room.

"Hugo, dinner in twenty. At least attempt to put a brush through that jungle of yours. We don't want to attract rodents," giving her son a grin, she moved further down the hall to pass the message to Rose.

"Hello Rose, dear," Hermione smiled at her daughter, her nose already buried in a book, "Dinner will be in twenty minutes, alright?" Rose nodded and Hermione left.

Moments later found Hugo and Scorpius in Rose's room.

"What mischievous deeds will we go about these wondrous holiday times sister?"

Scorpius looked at Rose perplexed. Rose pulled pranks? Since when?

"Oh, I have some ideas," she replied, rubbing her palms together as if concocting a plan as she spoke. "But the question is, who will be our unsuspecting victim?"

"Well you got Molly and Lucy last year…and Alex was my victim, but he's not here…And Victoire and Teddy felt your wrath the year before…Fred and Roxanne would get you back without hesitation. They probably got one lined up already, as they don't know if they are targets or not. So I think we should plan our attack on Dominique and Louis…" Hugo concluded.

"Sounds good to me!" Rose grinned evilly. Scorpius actually felt a shiver go down his spine. _Woah_!

"Rose, Scorpius, Hugo! Dinner!" They heard Hermione's voice from below.

Scrambling out of their positions around the room, the three raced each other down the stairs, Rose only winning because she tripped the boys up before they could reach the top of the stairs.

Scorpius couldn't believe this side of Rose. It was as if she was a whole different person. He was used to quiet, reserved book-ish Rose. This one was loud, malicious, and quite frankly, hilarious.

Sitting down at the table, he stared at Rose, perplexed. Mr. Weasley seemed to think differently, as he cleared his throat, catching Scorpius' attention. Scorpius turned to Ron, only to cringe ever so slightly at the look he was being given, and the faint heat of a blush rose to his cheeks.

Turning back to the table, he grinned as he saw a wonderful roast chicken and plenty of vegetables appear on the table.

Mouth watering, he slowly filled his plate, as did everyone else. There wasn't a scrap left on a serving plate. This was a _Weasley_ family after all.

Dinner passed quickly, Scorpius gave compliments to Mrs. Weasley on the wonderful dinner she had prepared, and thanked Mr. Weasley for letting him stay here.

"Well Scorpius, you get to listen in on one of our favourite Christmas holiday family traditions tonight. After every dinner, we sit in the living room, play board games, and listen to recordings of _Potterwatch_ from back in the day. Mum'll bawl, even dad will sniffle, while I cream Hugo in Wizard's chess. You can play the winner, if you dare," smiling mischievously, Rose grabbed plates off the table to put in the sink.

Following her with his own dishes, Scorpius asked a question that rested on the tip of his tongue.

"What's _Potterwatch_?"

"Oh, just the most brilliant radio show ever! You see, when my parents and Uncle Harry were on the run chasing after Voldemort's horcruxes, a bunch of former friends and allies got together and formed a radio show that posted truths and sightings of them, or any deaths that were being covered up. It was run by family friend Lee Jordan, who used to commentate Quidditch matches at Hogwarts, so he was quite funny. And sometimes my Uncles George and Fred would help out, and people like the current Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt – he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix – and Auror and Werewolf Remus Lupin would help too. It was so cool! There was a different password every show and it was on a different frequency every time, so they were never caught. Genius! Pure genius!" Rose grinned.

Scorpius smiled back. It sounded like he was in for a fun night.

Moving to the living room, Hermione placed some odd contraption in the middle of the room that looked like an inside out radio system.

"Arthur got his hands on it, I'm afraid. But it still plays, and that's all that matters," Hermione explained, flicking her wand at the system.

A voice began to fill the room then, deep with a strong accent.

'_We apologise for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house-calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters. But we have now found ourselves another secure location and I am please to tell you that two of our regular contributors have joined me here this evening. Evening Boys!_'

Rose laughed. There was the unmistakable voice of a young Lee Jordan.

"Oh Ron honey, this was the first night you got the password right! And the same night that…that…" Hermione's eyes welled up and tears began to spill over as she stared blankly at Scorpius.

"Mum? Mum what's wrong? Do you want me to put on a different recording? I'm sure I can find the one with Nana on it!" Rose was confused. Did something bad happen to someone she knew that night?

"Hermione, I think it's time you went to bed dear. Rose, you can keep listening, I'm bringing your mother to bed." Helping his wife stand, Hermione cuddled into Ron as he brought her upstairs.

"What just happened?" Hugo asked, just as confused as the Rose and Scorpius were.

Out of respect for her mother, she turned off the recording, just as she heard, '_For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a _Basilisk_ listeners. One simple test: check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do._'

The three couldn't help but laugh at this. Rose smiled at the thought of her Uncle Fred. He was the only relative she had never met, as he was murdered in the Battle. This began to bring tears to her eyes.

"That was our Uncle Fred," Hugo explained, as Rose was at a loss for words, "We never got to meet him. He was Uncle George's twin, but he was murdered in the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Oh," was all Scorpius could say. Just then Ron returned downstairs.

Noticing they had turned off the radio, and just sitting, he entered the living room, sitting back in his chair.

"Hermione has asked me to tell you the story of what happened the night that broadcast went out. She said that maybe you will 'Finally understand why our families hate each other so much…' and blah blah blah." Ron shook his head.

"I remember that night very clearly. In fact, I will never forget it. That night marked the first time we had ever been in the Malfoy Manor."

Rose looked at Scorpius, who seemed just as confused as she did.

"Now, Hermione has asked you guys not to think twice on this. She doesn't want it to cause a rift in your friendship, it has nothing to do with you guys – " Ron said through gritted teeth. "Yes, I was forced to say that…" he muttered.

"Anyways; we had just finished listening to that broadcast. Sadly we heard about the deaths of several people we knew, including Teddy's grandfather Ted Tonks. Unfortunately, your git of an Uncle, Harry, decided, 'Hey, why not? Let's use You-Know-Who's name, even though it has a taboo on it and Ron has warned me several times not to say it!' Well ultimately this lead to our capture by some Snatchers. Hermione, thankfully, did some wonderful wand-work to change Harry's appearance, so the Snatchers couldn't tell if it was him or not.

"We tried fake names too. I attempted Stanley Shunpike. What a dolt I was, forgetting he was Imperiused to help the Death Eaters. So I had to tell them I was Barney Weasley. Harry used his muggle family's names to get away with looking funny, Vernon Dudley I think he used. And Hermione, thankfully, remembered a useful name, Penelope Clearwater. Your Uncle Percy used to date her in his last year at Hogwarts.

"Harry was genius though. Used a bit of information we had…er…obtained in second year to prove he was a Slytherin. See, he knew where the Common Room was, and what it looked like. I won't tell you how – that's another story…

"And he bluffed an entire story about his father working in the Ministry that they fell for. Sadly though, when searching the tent, they found not only the Sword of Gryffindor we had used to destroy Horcruxes, but also a newspaper article featuring Hermione. Realizing they'd caught a companion of Harry, they checked us over again. I was safe, as I was believed to be home with Spattergroit still. But Harry's scar was slightly visible on his forehead…and then they found his glasses…

"Well they realized they had Harry Potter and his little friends. So the idiot Werewolf Greyback, who was with the Snatchers, thought it would be best to bring us to the Death Eater Headquarters at the Manor. There were two other prisoners as well. Our friend, Dean Thomas, who was captured for being muggle-born, and a goblin named Griphook, who refused to join sides.

"Your father, Scorpius, was home for Easter, so your grandmother thought he would be able to recognize us and prove who we were. I don't know whether your father was being an idiot, or not, but he refused to admit he was Harry. Now Hermione and I he recognized, but he only kept saying "Maybe them, could be them…' and so on.

Scorpius smiled, somewhat proud that his father hadn't been the one to give them up.

"Then the idiot Lestrange…no offence to you Scorpius, really. But she was the most vile woman I've ever met. Worse than Aunt Muriel…"

Rose couldn't help but chuckle. He'd heard the stories of Aunt Muriel, so she knew it had to be bad.

"Well she…she cut Hermione from the rest of us and – and – "

"It's OK dad…" Rose comforted her father.

"Well she sent the rest of us to the cellar. Where, low and behold, we ran into your Auntie Luna Lovegood – who had been captured for her father's writings in _The Quibbler_ about Harry and what was really going on, and Mr. Ollivander."

"The wandmaker?" asked Hugo.

"The very same. Anyways, we were all brought down there, and Bellatrix…that cruel woman…began torturing your mother Rose, insisting on information about the Sword of Gryffindor. See You-Know-Who had trusted her with it in her Gringotts' vault. She feared it had been stolen, as well as the Horcrux that resided in there as well. Thankfully Professor Snape had actually given Bellatrix a fake sword, so she didn't know we had the real one. She tried to coax the goblin to tell her if it was real or not, but Griphook lied for us. We could hear Hermione screaming the whole time. Bellatrix was torturing her. I thought she was going to die…

"But then, bless Harry for his naivety. He had slipped several important things to him into a mokeskin pouch – "

Rose beamed, fingering her own pouch that happened to be in her pocket at the time.

" – and one of those things was a broken piece of a communication mirror. Merlin knows how, but Aberforth Dumbledore had a connecting mirror, and he seen we were in peril. The genius man sent Dobby the house elf in to rescue us. See wizards never account for house elf magic, so even though the cellar was wizard magic proof, house elves could do magic freely.

"So Dobby apparated in, and disapparated with Luna, Dean and Ollivander to Shell Cottage. Bill and Fleur were definitely not expecting that one. The idiots upstairs – once again Scorpius, no offence – heard the crack from disapparition, and sent the Wormtail bloke in – it's funny how he used to be my pet rat. Once again, another story – and myself and Harry tackled him. The bloody git tried to kill Harry, but in some bizarre form of magic, the fact that he owed Harry his life, forced his magic hand thing to strangle him to death. I can't really explain what happened. It was confusing…

"Anyways, we rushed upstairs, only in time to find Bellatrix calling You-Know-Who with her Dark Mark. She also told Greyback he could have Hermione. That's when I lost it. According to Harry I did some brilliant disarming spell on Bellatrix, and Harry knocked out your grandfather Scorpius with her wand. But next thing we knew, Bellatrix had a knife to Hermione's throat. Bloody cheater…

"Draco took our wands we had acquired. But suddenly, before anyone could do anything, the chandelier just dropped. And it fell right on top of Bellatrix, Hermione and the goblin. Bellatrix moved of course, but glass flew everywhere. Bet your dad still has scars from the glass – " Ron winked at Scorpius, "Suddenly Harry had three wands from no where and knocked Greyback out. Dobby came from no where, then. Turns out he had dropped the chandelier. He disarmed Narcissa, and we got the hell out of there.

"But not before Bellatrix had at least killed something. She flicked her knife in our direction. We hadn't realized what had happened until we got to the Cottage. Dobby was dead. Hit with the knife – " there were tears in Ron's eyes now. "We were all so distraught, Harry ended up burying the house elf in the yard."

"Oh, that's what that rock is all about – " pondered Hugo.

"Yes. Harry did that himself."

Rose looked at Scorpius tentatively. "Please tell me your grandparents don't live in that house still…"

"No. Grandpa's in Azkaban. And Grandma lives with her sister Andromeda. You know, Teddy's Grandmother? Yeah they made up after the war. Grandma had never hated Aunt Andy, just harboured a want to follow Bellatrix. So it was easy for them to make up."

"Good. I wouldn't know what to do if you ever invited me to visit them…"

Scorpius laughed then, a true, from the gut laugh.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't Rose."

Ron watched his daughter with a watchful eye, and a harder gaze set on Scorpius. He didn't mind that they were friends. But if it ever became more…well he'd better make sure there was a bed reserved in St. Mungo's for him someday. Perhaps next to Lockhart's room, they could be loony together.

"Well I'm off to bed, as should you. We're making our way to the Burrow tomorrow before lunch by Floo, so you need to get up somewhat early. Good night," Ron stood then, giving his two children a hug, and giving Scorpius a well-rounded handshake, and then headed upstairs to bed.

"You don't – well, you're not put off by what happened between our families, are you Rose?" Scorpius asked tentatively. He wouldn't know what to do if Rose hated him. He'd probably lose his mind.

"No. I'm not. The past is the past, we can't prevent that now. All we can do is learn from their mistakes, and put it behind us. Besides, it's not like your parents or grandparents did any of the torturing. The only one not remorseful is your grandfather, and he's safely locked away," she smiled and hugged her best friend.

"Ick, the love fest is making me sick, good night odd ones," Hugo scrunched his face up before heading upstairs as well.

"Haha, we scared away Hugo. Rose: 1, Hugo: 0!" she grinned.

"So…what's this about you pranking? Since when does perfect bookworm Miss Know-It-All Weasley, perform such unlawful acts such as a prank? And why has she never told me about it?"

"Since _forever_. You can blame my Uncle George. He's the one's that convinced me to start because '_The quiet ones are the ones you need to look out for_.' And I never told you, because it was for Weasley Christmas' only. You had to be invited into our super secret club to know." A smirk worthy of Draco Malfoy spread across her face.

It took every ounce of will power he had not to snog her senseless.

"Well, good night Scorpius," she said, before making her way upstairs and disappearing. Scorpius sat in a daze, wondering if she knew what she did to him. It was bloody mental!

Finally waking up from his drool-fest, he made his way silently upstairs.

Secretively, Ron smiled, glad to hear three separate pairs of footsteps make their way upstairs.

…

"Gooooood morning Scorpius!" came the annoying voice of Rose jumping on the end of his bed.

"_Grr_…" he tried to growl venomously, but he only sounded like a puppy to Rose.

"Aww is Scorpius sleepy? Well too bad, breakfast time!" she called in a sing-song voice. Scorpius wanted to throw his pillow at her.

So he did.

Simultaneously knocking her off the bed where she landed on the floor with an '_Oof!_' Scorpius laughed, while she glared at him from the floor.

Crawling out of bed, he moved to his duffle on the floor, searching for some clean clothes.

Rose finally composed herself and stood from the floor, only to be frozen from the sight of Scorpius in just his boxers. Sure she had seen him in swimming trunks, or without a shirt on. But _boxers_ were a little more intimate, and this made Rose blush fiercely.

"Well, are you going to let me dress?" Scorpius suddenly brought Rose from her reverie.

"Oh yes, um, sorry," and with that she scrambled from the room towards her own to change.

Scorpius just laughed before changing out his boxers for fresh ones, slipping on a dark pair of slim denim jeans, and a simple green t-shirt. He thought he looked presentable enough. Finally he ran a hand through his hair, and he was ready.

Rose climbed into her bedroom, and closed the door behind her, letting out a huge breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Well that had been…awkward.

Heading to her closet, she pulled out a pair of light blue denim jeans and topped it off with a navy blue shirt that flowed past her hips and rested on her shoulder with spaghetti straps. Perfect. Throwing a black outer camisole over it, she charmed her hair with her wand to be more manageable, and plaited it simply.

Finally ready to face her family, she bounded out of her bedroom, completely forgetting about the incident with Scorpius this morning. Sitting at the table, she beamed brightly at her family.

"Good morning!" she said to everyone, Ron smiled at his overly energetic daughter, but Hermione's face never faltered, until Scorpius walked in that is.

"Good morning Scorpius. I hope you had a good sleep?"

"Yes quite. The bed is much comfier then mine at home," something was silently passed between the two to never speak of the stories told last night.

"That's good to hear! Anyways, my husband has basically forced me to make breakfast for you all, so there is toast, tea, bacon and plenty of sausages. Help yourselves!" Hermione turned back to washing the dishes while the rest of them sat at the table and began to eat.

"So, we'll be heading to my mum's in just over an hour. We're only going for four days, so you don't need much, just a rucksack will do. And don't forget your presents, we'll be spending Christmas day there as well. We'll return on the twenty-sixth," Ron said to the children.

Rose smiled. She had a lot of presents to take this year, as everyone was joining them for once. But she also had to make sure she got in some time to help Victoire plan her wedding. The details were almost perfect. Victoire's bridesmaids consisting of Rose being Maid of Honor, Dominique, Lily, Alice, and Molly, and Clara was the Flower Girl. Teddy had Harry for his Best Man, as he wouldn't have it any other way, and the groomsmen were James, Fred, Frank, and his best mate, Matthew Towler, and Thomas as a ring bearer.

The wedding would, of course, be held in a tent at the Burrow. Rose had arranged for a wizard from the Ministry to preside over the marriage. She had a live band lined up, and invites were due to be sent out over the following summer holidays holidays, she just had to review the guest list with them.

As well, everyone was going shopping in June for their attire. Rose was thinking beautiful green or blue dresses for the girls, so it wouldn't clash with any of the Weasley's hair, and the boys would wear tuxes with matching ties.

However, as they were about to leave for the Burrow, Rose tucked away her plans and ideas, and jogged up to her room to get ready.

She ensured she had her favourite green dress for Christmas day. No red allowed for her, her hair was red enough in its auburn state. She packed some jeans, a skirt, and a few more tops, obviously more than four days worth, but sometimes she liked to change her mind on her outfit. Rose also made sure she had everything else she needed, including a few books and some basic necessities. Finally she was packed, and she made her way to the fireplace to meet the others.

Everyone else was already there, so once she arrived, her father grabbed some of the powder from the container beside the fireplace, and off he went to the Burrow. Everyone followed in the emerald flames and moments later found the five of them standing in the living room of the Burrow. Scorpius was in awe of how cozy the room they stood in was. There were knick-knacks and hand-made things everywhere. He actually felt, _at home_.

Mrs. Weasley came bustling in then, hugging first her son, followed by Hermione, then Rose and Hugo. Finally she stopped in front of him. "And who is this?" she asked.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy m'am, I'm visiting with Rose for the holidays," he gave her the brightest smile he could.

"Oh yes, my son did tell me you would be here. Well, welcome then!" she said, before pulling him into a hug as well. At first he was surprised, but when she let go, he felt a great deal warmer.

Molly Weasley began to bustle about, listing out room arrangements. Thankfully after the war, Bill insisted they add more to the house, so it was much larger than before, but it was still cramped with everyone in it.

The adults would squeeze into rooms together, as would the kids. One room consisted of Arthur and Molly, they took the smallest room. In Charlie's old room were Charlie himself, Percy, Bill, and George. In Percy's old room were Ron, Harry, Neville, and Rolf. In George's old room were Fleur, Audrey, and Angelina. In Ginny's old room were Ginny, Hermione, Hannah and her little Clara, and Luna. In Bill's old room were Teddy, Frank, James and Fred. In Ron's old room were Albus, Hugo, and Scorpius. And in the newest room attachments found a room with Louis, Lorcan, Lysander and Thomas; another room with Victoire, Molly, Alice and Roxanne; a third found Rose, Lily, Dominique and Lucy. It was very cramped, but they made it work with simple expansion charms and lots of cots.

After bringing their bags upstairs, they returned downstairs to find more than half of their family had arrived. All that were left were Neville, Hannah and their kids, and George, Angelina and their kids.

Just as Rose thought this, the Longbottoms began appearing in the fireplace, followed quickly by George and his lot.

Once everyone was settled, they retreated into the expanded living room for various activities. Some headed off into the village for last minute shopping, Luna took Rolf and the twins to visit her father in the village who still lived in his crazy house with all the strange plants. This made the house a little more breathable.

Rose decided she needed fresh air, however, so she grabbed her fleece jacket and a matching scarf, hat and mittens set and headed outside alone.

She loved her family, but sometimes she needed her quiet. Plus she needed time to think up her great prank of the year.

It was hard to think of something that hadn't been done before, but Rose thought she had a pretty decent plan. Rose knew that the thing those part-veelas cared about most was their looks. Dominique took an hour to take a shower, so that's when Rose would complete her prank on her. Louis, however, wasn't as long, but she could still complete a prank on him in time.

Twirling her wand in her hand, she grinned, thinking it best to do her prank the next day would be best, as they wouldn't dream of getting revenge on Christmas, and the next day they were leaving. She had a high chance of getting away with it!

Albus and Scorpius stared out the window as Rose just sat idly in the light snow on the ground, not even moving, just staring at nothing. She was thinking, that much was clear. And Scorpius had a feeling it had something to do with her pranks.

"Thank Merlin I'm Rose's closest cousin and friend, she refuses to prank me. You should be safe, too."

"Yeah, she and Hugo said something about Dominique and Louis." Scorpius said, nodding in Hugo's direction. Fleur had taken her children last minute shopping, so they could freely talk about the prank.

"Oh this should be good then. They are obsessed with grooming themselves, that's where she will focus." Albus smirked. "She'll only do something simple, but to Dominique and Louis it will be devastating."

Laughing, the two boys grabbed their coats and decided to join Rose outside.

"Don't think too hard Rose, you'll hurt yourself," Albus teased as they approached her.

"Ha ha, very funny Albus," she laughed sarcastically. "No I found the perfect little pranks to play on blonde and blonder."

Scorpius laughed. "What does that make myself, Victoire and the twins?" he asked.

"Well you're just Scorpius, Victoire is Blondie, and the twins are blondest one and two…" Rose rattled off nonsensically.

"You are strange Rose," Albus said, laughing.

By the time dinner rolled around, everyone had returned, and the night passed in fun games, and stories of old. George told Scorpius of the time the Ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody, who had been their Defence Professor at the time, had turned Draco into a bouncing white ferret for insulting Harry, and how it had never actually been Moody at all, but Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. the entire time using Polyjuice Potion. Scorpius couldn't help but laugh at the idea of his father bouncing around like a ferret. No wonder he had such a fear of small creatures! Scorpius was definitely going to use this information as leverage.

It wasn't long before they were all heading to bed.

...

Albus, Scorpius and Hugo awoke the next morning to screams from down the hall, and very annoyed yells.

Of course the three knew what had happened, Rose had acted upon her pranks.

Exiting their room, they smiled when they saw two fuming blondes heading down the hall.

Louis was covered in a white powder, and his mouth was hanging open like he couldn't close it.

Dominique however, held several bras in her hand that were oddly misshapen, and her face was as bright as an orange.

"What happened?" asked Al, trying not to laugh.

"Rose happened," Dominique growled venomously. "She froze all of my bras with an un-meltable freezing charm from Teddy, and replaced my foundation with a much darker shade. And she covered his towel in talcum powder, and replaced his toothpaste with some odd stuff that's made his whole mouth numb. He can't even talk!"

"Well you should have watched out, you guys were so obviously next on the pranking list…" Rose said, coming up the stairs, a grin on her face. "It wasn't as good as last year's, but I'm just as satisfied."

Dominique simply glared at Rose, while Louis attempted to keep his mouth closed. They both turned then and headed to find their parents to see if they could reverse the work that had been done on them.

The others who had gathered in the hallway laughed and patted Rose on the back as they headed back to their rooms to dress for the day. It was Christmas Eve after all.

Rose pulled on the black skirt she had brought. It was simple, straight with a little bit of ruffle on the end, and she topped it off with a low cut purple coloured simple t-shirt. Rose tamed her wild hair with her wand, and put it in a high ponytail. Leaving the confides of her room, she made her way downstairs to enjoy the family time they would have once again.

…

"Rose! Rose wake up! It's Christmas!" Lily was jumping on the end of Rose's bed in her striped pyjamas.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Rose laughed and rolled out from under the covers. Dominique, thankfully, had gotten over the prank she had pulled on her. The four girls rushed downstairs, only to realize they were the first awake. The girls quickly ran back upstairs and woke the rest of the family room by room.

Soon everyone sat around the enormous tree in the living room.

Presents were passed around, and well wishes were given, and soon it was nearly time for lunch. It would only be small, as there would be a large turkey supper to look forward to.

Scorpius wished his family celebrated like this. His parents didn't enjoy traditions and such. They simply gave each other their gifts, then sat and ate as a family.

By the time it was evening, sleep hung over them all, and they went to bed.

…

Giving Al a hug, Rose stepped into the fire and returned home, followed closely by the rest of her family and Scorpius.

"Well that was fun!" said Hugo. "Too bad we go back to school in six days."

"Well we could make do with the time we have. Ever been to see a movie Scorpius?"

Scorpius looked at Rose. "What's a movie?"

"Well you know how we have moving pictures? Well it's the muggle version. Except it tells a story and the people speak, too. It's pretty cool, and the theatre is only down the street."

"Sounds like fun," Scorpius grinned, and together the three set off for six days of fun activities.

...

On the second of January they stood at King's Cross once again to head back to Hogwarts. Hugo ran off to find his friends, while Rose secured a compartment for herself, Scorpius and Albus.

First thing Rose did was pull out one of her newest books and began to read as she waited for her two best friends. The book was in Latin, so she was struggling to read it, so she had her wand in hand to translate any words she didn't know.

Soon Scorpius and Albus had sat across from her and had engaged in a fierce game of Exploding Snap. Not before long, Scorpius had beat Albus three times already, and darkness was closing upon the train. Rose was growing tired, and her eyes were drooping. Thank goodness it was a Saturday, she could sleep the whole day tomorrow.

And that's exactly what Rose planned to do. She'd get to the castle, eat dinner and go straight to bed.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you liked this chapter :) It's going to be a bit slower for the next few updates. I have Chapter 9 written, but hardly anything for Chapter 10, so I'm not posting 9 until 10 is done...See I had up to Chapter 8 written in total, but now I've fallen behind. So I need to get ahead of myself again! Anyways, the next few chapters are jam-packed with fourth year and the summer following, so be prepared! Woo! Review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I know I promised to wait until I finished writing chapter ten to get this baby up, but I couldn't have you guys waiting any longer and thinking I gave up! I'm nearly done chapter ten, so here's chapter nine while you wait! Oh by the way, this chapter is jam packed with action, and it's TOTALLY AWESOME...yeah I watched AVPM again, so sue me LOL

Anyways, chapter nine! Da da da da! *ahem* being lame here...

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

"Rose! Rose, can you believe it! Next year is our OWLs year! The one that matters!" Scorpius exclaimed, putting his trunk back onto the Hogwarts Express. He only had three years left at the school now, what with exams complete and fourth year ending.

"I know! I'm so nervous though, what if I fail something? I won't be able to continue on with the NEWTs."

"You won't fail Rose. The chance of you failing is like the chance of the _Gernumblies_ existing, those creatures that the twins talk about constantly."

Scorpius laughed as Rose glared at Albus.

"I'm serious Al! I know I didn't do great in Defence this year. And History of Magic was dreadful…"

"Rose. You got Outstandings in every subject," Albus groaned.

"So, doesn't mean I couldn't fail…" Rose hung her head.

"No, you don't have the ability to," Scorpius scolded her.

"Fine. I give up. But don't look to me when you boys need help next year while I'm busy with my 'not-failing' strategy, studying away my life in the Library. I already have most of the texts for next year read."

"How did you even know what they will be?" Albus asked, bewildered.

"I asked the Professors. Mum bought them for me when I was home for Easter and I got mostly through them."

"Rose, you are crazy. But that's what we love about you." Wrapping his arm around his cousin, he led the three of them onto the train to head home for summer.

"Yeah, you better. Otherwise I'd just feel like I was your homework help or something…" Rose grumbled to herself.

"What do you mean?" Albus asked, brows furrowed.

"Oh I hear what people say about me. They claim you both are only my friends because I'm smart. Like I believe that though, I mean you're both in Ravenclaw, you can easily do your own work. You're just lazy…" Rose smiled.

Scorpius felt enraged. People actually said that about her? He gripped his wand so tight, little red sparks were emitting from the end. Albus looked at him quizzically, so he eased up on his grip.

Finally they found an empty compartment, and as usual, Rose pulled out a book.

"So Scorpius, what are you doing this summer? I mean you've only been keeping it a secret from us for like a month, it's about time you told us!" Albus asked.

"Well, if you insist... Dad says we're going to Romania! He knows I love dragons, and we're going there to check them out. Anyways, I didn't tell you, because your Uncle Charlie is going to talk to your parents and see if you both can come down then as well!"

"Scorpius that's brilliant!" Rose cried, distracted from her book. "I haven't been there since I was really young, must have been five or six I think."

"And I've never been…" said Albus, his eyes widening in awe. "Oh now I'm excited for summer! I thought I'd be stuck over at Uncle Percy's for almost all of July with only James, Lily, Molly and Lucy to keep me company as mum and dad are going to visit with Professor Wood and her husband for a while. Apparently the Professor is due to give birth soon, so my parents are helping find a replacement Professor for next year. They're thinking of Alicia Spinnet…er sorry that's who they refer to her as. She's Alicia Jordan now. Married Lee Jordan, remember, from _Potterwatch_?

"Anyways, she was a chaser the same time as Professor Wood, and she's best friends with our Aunt Angelina, so it should be no problem."

"Professor Wood's husband is _dreamy_," Rose suddenly blurted, quickly hiding behind her book once more. She could feel the blush creep onto her cheeks.

"Oh, is he Rose? Want me to tell your father you said that? Oh wait, what does Uncle Ron always say about him? Right… '_Oliver Wood? That pompous prat? All he ever cared about was Quidditch this and Quidditch that. He wouldn't know a girl if it hit him in the face. Thank Merlin Katie talked some sense into him and he's settled down…_'"

Scorpius had stayed silent this whole time, just staring out the window. Rose blushed again. "So. That proves he's dedicated and committed, and cared about his team."

"Or that he's a prat and a little overbearing…" Albus muttered.

"Well I'll have you know, I've _met_ him, and he is very polite and kind, even congratulated me on getting Keeper and gave me tips," Rose snapped.

"When did you meet _him_?" Albus asked, a little hint of envy in his voice.

"At the end of last summer in Diagon Alley. He was buying a necklace for Katie for her birthday. Anyways, him, mum and I went to Fortescue's and had some ice cream together. Too bad he's way too old…and married," Rose laughed, as did Albus. But Scorpius was still quiet.

"Anyways," Albus said, looking at Scorpius and knew he was begging for a change of subject, "When are you leaving?"

"Three days from now. Your Uncle Charlie will be visiting your parents tonight I believe. Al's first, then Rose's. You guys should be leaving in about five days, when your parents leave Al."

"Perfect."

Sure enough, five days later found Rose and Albus arm in arm with their Uncle Charlie, apparating to Romania with a loud _Crack_. Charlie, thankfully, had left out the little detail of the Malfoy's being there as well, telling their parents he just wanted to spend time alone with them. After all, he was godfather to _both_ of them, and he rarely saw them due to work.

The trio stood atop a tall mountain overlooking a hollowed out glacial lake.

"I thought you would like to see where I do most of my work before heading to the hotel," Uncle Charlie said with a smile.

A loud noise was heard over head, and they looked up. A few thousand feet above them flew a beautiful winged beast, it's green scales and glittering golden horns shone in the afternoon sunlight.

"What breed is that Charlie?" asked Albus.

Before Charlie could even answer, Rose quipped, "That's the Romanian Longhorn. That is the only dragon native to Romania. Every other one was brought and bred here."

Charlie smiled, "Quite right, but they are quite dangerous, and we aren't protected, so we'll have to leave now."

Turning on the spot with another audible _Crack_, Charlie apparated them to a small alleyway behind a busy street.

"The hotel is just over here. It's pretty decent, and feel free to call upon room service any time, they give it to us for free!" Charlie said, laughing.

He brought them inside and up three flights of stairs before they reached their room.

"Now, it's two separate bedrooms, so you'll have your privacy. The sanctuary is closed for the day, so we won't be heading up there until tomorrow. So today is like a holiday for you. Go! Explore the city! However…" he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small compact mirror, "Rose, take this."

"Uh, Uncle Charlie, Rose doesn't wear make-up," Albus commented.

"I know, but Hermione gave it to me to give to Rose. It's a communication mirror, you can use it to contact me any time, OK. So if you runts get into trouble, just open it and call my name!"

Rose nodded and slipped it into her mokeskin pouch that she still wore around her neck.

"Your parents gave you money right?" they both nodded, "OK, good, so now, go have fun! I believe the Malfoy's are on the end of the hall in room 309 if you're looking for them. Enjoy, and I will be here precisely at eight tomorrow morning!" With that Charlie gave them a key each, and left.

Rose beat Albus to the door and unlocked their suite. Inside was a vast room, practically four times the size of Rose's bedroom at home. Gawking, Rose made her way to the two doors on the far left. Opening them both, she peered inside. The room on the right had a better view, so she dragged her duffle inside, "Dibs!" she called out.

Albus groaned, but took the other room nonetheless.

"Hey look! We have our own bathrooms, too!" Rose called. Sure enough, by the closet was a door to an ensuite bathroom. They were definitely going to enjoy this.

"Well now that we're acquainted with our rooms, let's go find Scorpius!" Rose said, and bounded out the door, with Albus in tow.

Finding room 309, they knocked and waited for nearly five minutes before the door finally opened.

'Rose! Albus!" came the voice of Astoria Malfoy. "It's so good to see you children, come in come in. Scorpius is out for just a minute, him and his father had to apparate to Gringotts, as he idiotically forgot his own amount of money and has been hoarding off of us for the last two days."

Rose rolled her eyes. Sounded just like Scorpius all right.

"How is your trip going so far?" Mrs. Malfoy asked.

"Oh, lovely, actually," Rose replied. "We only arrived barely an hour ago, we were just checking out our rooms and decided to come find Scorpius."

"That's excellent to hear. Well, if you'll excuse me, I must tend to other business at hand. They'll only be a moment longer. Bye for now," Astoria headed to the door, and then left.

Albus and Rose sat awkwardly in the empty room, but true to her word, Mr. Malfoy and Scorpius arrived minutes later with a loud _Crack_ of Apparition.

"Albus! Rose!" Scorpius cried out when he saw them. "When did you get here?"

"Been in Romania for about an hour now, but in this room for about ten minutes. Your mother let us in," Rose answered.

"Well then, Albus and Rose, welcome to our room," Draco addressed them, his eyebrow raised in a comical manner. "I suspect you'll be wanting to explore the city, and Charlie informed me of the Communication Mirrors, so off you go."

Scorpius grinned at his dad as he ushered his friends from the room. Draco winked at his son as they left.

…

"That was _unbelievable_!" Albus said, the clear magnitude of his shock on his face. "We were _that close_ to a dragon! A Shortsnout!"

"Yes Al. We know, considering you've reminded us the whole way back to the hotel," Scorpius said, snorting uncharacteristically at Albus' awe.

"Too bad we're heading home tomorrow though. The new shipment of young Fireballs were coming in next week," Rose sat glumly in a chair in their common area.

"Yeah, but our parents are going to be home, they want us to meet Professor Wood's baby," Albus groaned.

"Well we can still hang out a few more times this summer!" Scorpius offered. He didn't want to have to wait more than a month to see his best friends again. "I mean there's the big Quidditch rally next week, and my parents have a whole box booked out, I'm sure they wouldn't mind sharing!"

"Er – I'd love to Scorpius, but I promised my dad I would attend with him…" Rose said, biting her lip out of disappointment.

"Bring your dad to the box! Trust me, there's enough Firewhiskey to keep him satiated!" Scorpius grinned, while Albus snorted.

"I'll ask, but I can't guarantee. But ask your parents first Scorpius, I don't want to show up unannounced. Albus, you could always bring your parents too!"

Scorpius nodded, although secretly he hoped Albus would say no so he could spend more time with Rose.

"Yeah sure. That'll probably increase your chances of being able to go." Rose nodded in agreement.

"Well it's late, I better head back to our room, mum will worry…" Scorpius sighed, getting up.

"Hey Scorpius, it's our last night. Why don't you ask your parents if you can stay with us! I'm sure your dad can transfigure the couch into a bed for you!"

"Brilliant Rose!" Albus noted, clapping his cousin on the back, as her cheeks tinged pink.

Scorpius nodded and went to retrieve his father.

Once he was gone, Albus and Rose sat in silence.

Well, as long as silence can last with a Weasley or a Potter in the room.

"Rose, when did you start to like Scorpius?" Albus asked, giving his cousin a wicked grin. The grin only grew as Rose's cheeks and ears burned a crimson red, throwing off her hair color wildly.

"I don't know what you're talking about Albus," she sighed indifferently, her blush from moments before disappearing from her face. "I don't like Scorpius in that way at all."

"Could have fooled me," winking at his cousin, Albus stood from his chair. "But just so you know, he likes you. Now I was never supposed to tell you that, so you did not hear that from my lips. Got it? Or I'll spill how you like Scorpius, and how it was you that switched every one of his quills with ones from Uncle George's shop, and that's why they exploded in his face in Charms."

Rose gaped at her cousin, "How did you – "

"Actually I didn't know. But now that I do, I'll hold it to you," grinning, he walked into his small bedroom off the side.

"_Bloody wanker_…" Rose hissed under her breath.

"I heard that!" came Albus' voice from the room. Rose just rolled her eyes and waited for Scorpius to return.

…

It was half an hour later and they still had seen no sign of him. Growing anxious, Rose made for the door, intending to go down the hall to see what was going on. What stopped her in her tracks was the tapping on the window.

Turning, there stood Scorpius' owl with a letter in it's beak. Confused, Rose opened the window.

"Al! It's a letter from Scorpius! Come out here!"

Rose grabbed the letter from the owl's beak and ripped it open.

_Rose and Albus_

_I had to write this in haste, but I had to let you know what happened.  
__When I returned to my room, my grandmother was there, with no sign of my parents and all of our stuff was gone.  
__Turns out, my grandfather has somehow escaped from Azkaban, and word in the prison is, he's coming for me. The _disgrace_ of our family's bloodline.  
__I'm sorry, but I have to stay with family elsewhere for the rest of the summer, but I will write, I promise._

_See you guys on the Hogwarts Express!  
__Scorpius_

"That's totally crazy! Does your father know about this Albus?" Rose asked.

"No, he doesn't." Rose stopped what she was doing. That was not Albus who spoke. Turning, she recoiled slightly from the sight of a withering old man, flanked with several much younger ones behind him.

Albus sidled over to Rose's side, and they both withdrew their wands. There was no doubt who this man was. With the receding white hair that had obviously once been blonde, and the stiff posture and cane.

Lucius Malfoy.

Great. Just great, Albus and Rose would have to face this old Death Eater and his friends. Alone.

"Now, filth; tell me where my grandson is." The man began to approach them, and they backed up as far as they could.

"We don't know. And even if we did, we wouldn't tell you!" Rose shooed Scorpius' owl out of the window before anyone could get their hold on it to track it.

"Oh is that right mudblood?" he hissed at Rose, causing her to flinch. "Well, maybe the _Cruciatus_ curse will loosen your tongue, _Crucio_!"

A Death Eater flank used a _Silencio _charm on the door, as Rose's screams suddenly filled the room. Albus bent over his cousin.

"Stop it!" he cried, "_Stop_!"

"What are you going to do about it boy? Use your silly magic? I bet you can't even produce a good stunner. All your dad had perfected was that stupid disarming spell. And you know what it got him? A dead ex-auror, a dead owl, a few almost dead friends, and a Weasley's ear cursed off. _Crucio_!"

Albus began to freak out as Rose's screams filled the air. He suddenly felt his and Rose's wands fly from their outstretched hands. Great, they'd been disarmed.

Knowing there was only one thing he could do, Albus reached for Rose's mokeskin pouch around her neck, and tried desperately to get the Communication Mirror out, but the pouch would not let him enter. Grabbing Rose's hand he shoved it into the pouch along with his, and managed to grasp his hands around the mirror.

"Silly boy, a little mirror won't save you now. Would you like a taste of what your filthy cousin is feeling right now?" Turning, Lucius pointed his wand at Albus, but not before Albus had opened the compact and whispered Charlie Weasley at it.

Seconds later it felt like his skin was being ripped from his bones as the torturing curse hit him square in the chest. A scream ripped from his lungs as he fell to the floor, the mirror sliding from his grip. All Albus could feel were hot spokes of pain and daggers in his flesh.

And just as soon as it had started, it stopped.

Looking up, Charlie Weasley stood above him, his wand outstretched as he muttered a few healing spells.

"It's OK Albus. It's over, unfortunately Lucius escaped, but we captured a few of his cronies. What the horntail happened here?"

Albus did his best to recount what happened, starting with Scorpius going to find his father, up until the curse hit his skin.

"It's OK Al. We're going to get you two home. But first a trip to St. Mungo's. Rose needs a soothing draught."

Picking up Rose bridal style, Uncle Charlie grasped Albus' arm tightly in his and with a _Crack_ apparated to the Hospital.

The Potters and Weasleys were already in the waiting room, having been informed in the last five minutes or so what had happened.

Hermione pulled her now unconscious daughter out of Charlie's arms and held her close, but brought her into a room for examination.

Ginny wrapped her arms tightly around her son. "Oh Albus! Don't ever scare us like that again! I thought you were dead! When Charlie said you were attacked by Malfoy senior and some Death Eaters, I feared the worst. Thank Merlin you both are safe! Now let's get you a draught and we'll go home."

Minutes later Albus was curled up in his bed, Ginny and Harry, out of extra precautions put spells up to doubly protect the home for the night. They weren't taking any chances.

As did Hermione with her own home. Rose refused to sleep on her own, so she had subsequently crawled in with her parents, feeling secure with their arms around her.

No one slept easy that night.

…

"Rosie! There's an owl here for you!"

Rose took the stairs two at a time. It had been a week since the attack, and she had brightened up substantially since then.

Ripping the letter from the bird's beak, she grinned as she recognized the scrawl as Scorpius'.

_Rose_

_I am _so_ sorry for what happened. You cannot understand how much I hate my grandfather right now. For what he did to you, I hope he gets the Dementor's Kiss. Even Father agrees with me.  
__Speaking of my father, he sends his deepest regrets, and promises to make it up to you and your family somehow.  
__I hope he gets captured soon. I'd really like to see you before the summer is out!_

_Scorpius_

"Ha! Draco Malfoy making it up to the _Weasley_ family. Yeah right. Expect a cheque…or a few snide remarks that he thinks are kind." Ron snorted at his own joke.

"Dad, despite what you think, Draco Malfoy is a changed man. He tells me how much he regrets from the war, but how he knows he wouldn't have been able to do it any other way. He also says how he owes you and Uncle Harry his life. Remember when you saved him and Mr. Goyle?"

Hermione grinned at her daughter, she had a point. "She's right Ron."

"Fine. But I won't believe it until I see it."

…

"Do you believe it now daddy?" Rose asked, holding up what was in her hand.

Ron nodded eagerly. "Fine, I believe!" he said, reaching out desperately for the tag and lanyard in her hand.

"And what do you say?"

"Sorry for not believing?" Ron supplied.

"Good daddy!" she said, patting her father on the head and handing over the special gift from Mr. Malfoy; A Lifetime Pass to any Quidditch game that he ever wanted to see that also granted him Locker Room and Field access. Mr. Malfoy had really out done himself.

"So Rose, what will you be doing today?" Hermione asked her daughter. Her son Hugo had already left to hang out in Diagon Alley with some school friends.

"Probably going to hang out with Al. Since Scorpius is still in hiding…" Rose looked down at the table. It had been over a month since she had seen him, only communicating by owl. They'd be going back to Hogwarts in just a few weeks. He promised to be there on August 31st at their annual shopping day, and then he would come stay with Rose while his parents returned to their hiding place.

"OK Rose. Take your wand though. Just in case. After that incident in Romania, you are going no where without it. As long as it is in self defence, you can use it without worry of getting expelled."

Just then there was a tapping on the window. Looking over a large Barn Owl sat on the sill. In it's beak were two official looking envelopes.

"Hogwarts Letters!" Rose cried, grabbing them from the Owl's beak. Hermione fed the bird a treat before sending it off.

Rose ripped hers open, and unsurprisingly a glittering badge slid out of the envelope.

"Oh Rosie! Prefect! I'm so proud!" Hermione cried, hugging her daughter. "I wonder who will be your male counterpart?"

"I'd completely forgotten Prefects were chosen this year! It's probably Al or Scorpius," Rose mused, thinking about it, she was probably right. They were both practically tied for highest grades in the male Ravenclaw population. "Who knows?"

…

Rose stared out the window of Flourish and Blotts. That's where Scorpius intended to meet them by Floo. The whole family had come today, no one wanting to be anywhere alone. Victoire and Teddy stood to the side, with their wedding being only less than a year away now, they were getting very anxious. Uncle Harry stood with Aunt Ginny, James, Albus and Lily, Uncle Percy held his wife Audrey's hand, with his eldest Molly, and youngest Lucy. Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill were standing further in the store with Dominique and Louis at their sides. While Uncle George was standing with Aunt Angelina, Fred and Roxanne, trying to make the best of things by telling jokes and funny stories. The Longbottoms and Scamanders had already done their shopping, so it would be just them today.

Finally the fireplace glowed green, and out walked Scorpius and his parents.

Rose rushed forward and hugged Scorpius tight. "I have been _so worried_ about you!" she cried, hugging him tighter if it was possible.

"You worried about me? Rose I worried like hell about you and Albus. I still can't believe grandfather tortured you guys just to try to find me…" tears glistened in his eyes.

"Scorpius look. We're fine, that is all that matters…" Albus said, patting his friend on the back.

"Good. Let's get this shopping over with, I just want to get out of here."

Rose grinned. "Well I've got all of my books, so I don't need anything here. So hurry up and we can head over to the newest location of Scrivenshaft's for some quills and parchment. Good thing they opened up a place here, it was only in Hogsmeade up until last year when they opened a new branch!"

Albus rolled his eyes at his cousin. Scrivenshaft's was probably her favourite store by far.

"And then to Potage's. My cauldron was destroyed last year…Then I need owl pellets from the Menagerie, and to the Apothecary; I'm all out of Lacewing Flies and some other ingredients…and then to – "

"OK Rose, we get it! You need to do a lot of shopping," Scorpius laughed.

Once everyone had what they needed in the bookstore, they filed out. Much to the owner's happiness.

"Anyways, you both have kept it secret long enough. Now that both of you are here, which one of you is Prefect?" Rose said, smacking Scorpius on the arm for laughing at her.

"I am," Scorpius grinned, reaching in his pocket and holding up his matching badge to hers. Rose couldn't help but grin.

"That's great Scorpius! Sorry Al, but hey, the Captain this year in Quidditch is Mandy, and she's in her last year. Which means that you will more than likely get Captain next, Al."

Scorpius scowled at her.

"What? We all know Al's an amazing Seeker! And McGonagall loves him, remember?"

Albus grinned at the thought.

"I guess we can split into smaller groups, as we won't all fit in most stores. Split by immediate families. And if you want to stick together, you can," Harry said, leading the children out into the street.

Percy hauled his children down to the Apothecary first, and they were followed by George and his family. Bill and Fleur took their children, along with Teddy to the Robe shop, as Dominique and Louis were growing out of their old clothing. Harry took his family to the Menagerie, while Ron took his to the Quill shop, and they were followed by the Malfoys.

Rose breathed in the wonderful smell of fresh parchment. It was one of the things that she loved more than anything. Her mother had once divulged to her that that was one of the scents in her Amortentia, the strongest love potion in the world. Along with freshly cut grass and spearmint toothpaste. Rose was sure parchment would be among her scents.

The shopping day was coming to a close as Rose stepped out of the Menagerie, a fresh package of owl pellets in hand. Soon they would be home, divulging into her mother's cooking and then off to Hogwarts the next day.

_Crack_

Rose turned. That was the unmistakable sound of apparition. And there seemed to be more _Cracks_ coming from all around them. Her heart leaped into her throat. Surely they wouldn't attack here? In public?

Men with black cloaks and fearsome masks began stepping out of the shadows. Ron stood stock still, his wife and children hiding behind him.

"Daddy!" she heard a call from further down the alley, and soon enough, jets of light were flying across the street.

"Hermione run! Take Rose and Hugo with you and send a patronus to the Aurors!" Ron looked frantic as he raced forward, wand arm outstretched.

"_Dad_!" cried Hugo, trying to run from his mother's arms to reach his father.

"Hugo! No!" Rose said, grasping his other arm to hold him back. "Mum, where is everyone?" Hermione shrugged helplessly, and began tugging her children back inside the Menagerie where there was a Fireplace. She could send them home and continue to fight alongside her husband.

Rose remembered that Scorpius was still in the Menagerie, so she raced ahead of her mother inside.

"_Scorpius_!" Rose cried.

Scorpius and his parents peeked out from around the corner, and Draco, seeing their faces and a missing Ron, stood stock still. "What's happened?" he asked.

"There are Death Eaters! Everywhere!" Hermione shouted. "We've got to send the children home!"

"Not without dad!" Hugo cried suddenly, and raced out the door before Hermione or Rose could grasp his robe.

"_Hugo_!" Rose cried, before following behind her brother in an attempt to catch him. Scorpius was close behind her, but Rose pushed him back. "No! You cannot go out there, he is after _you_. Get back inside!"

"Not without you!" he shouted back. Rose groaned, but chased after her brother, Scorpius calling after her. Hugo was now amongst the scene before them. Spells were flying everywhere. Rose swore when she saw a red haired person fall to the ground. Tears sprung to her eyes at the thought of that being a possible death to add to their family's list.

Rose found Hugo directly beside his father, fighting off a Death Eater with the only small knowledge of spells he had. Then suddenly he was hit with a jet of red light, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"_Hugo_!" Rose began to cry as she reached her brother, and picked him up. Turning she realized the blonde idiot had followed her into the foray. "Scorpius please, you've got to get out of here. Take my brother and get back to the Menagerie. And I'm serious, go, or I'll get my father to Apparate you out of here right now," she said this with such malice, that Scorpius had to obey, for fear of making her more angry.

Taking Hugo in his arms, Scorpius raced back to his parents.

"Dad! I'm going to go find the others!" Ron stared at Rose in shock, wondering why the hell his daughter was amongst the fight. Before he could send her back, Rose was gone.

First she raced to the redhead she had seen fall. It turned out to be cousin Molly, thankfully she was alive, just stunned. Rose instructed her younger sibling Lucy on where to take her and they were gone.

Louis was hiding behind Dominique as she fought off two Death Eaters at once, Moments later, she and Rose had them stunned on the ground. Rose instructed Dominique to bring him to the Menagerie and they were gone.

Victoire, Teddy, Fred and Roxanne were all fighting off an equal amount of Death Eaters, so Rose jumped in to outnumber them, and moments later found the four masked men on the ground, tied together. Fred and Roxanne headed to the Menagerie, dragging a non-complying Victoire with them, as Teddy continued to fight.

All that were left were James, Albus and Lily left to find. She found James fast enough, fighting alongside his father, but Rose dragged him away and told him to shove off being brave and get his sodding arse to the Menagerie and take anyone he saw with him.

Albus and Lily were the last cousins to be found, but Rose couldn't see them anywhere.

And then her eyes landed on Lily's shock of red hair, fighting alongside her brother against three Death Eaters twice their size, and way outnumbering their skill.

Rose managed to hit one with a body bind curse, as did Albus, but the third grabbed Lily by her hair and began dragging her away, as she screamed for her father to save her.

Rose acted on instinct then, jumping on the Death Eaters back and smashing her fist against the man's head.

"Let her _GO_!" she screeched. Finally the man let go of Lily's hair, only to grab Rose by the neck. She could feel the air leaving her lungs as Albus grabbed Lily's hand and held her behind him.

Albus tried to stun him, but it was blocked easily.

"Well well well," spat the Death Eater in her face. "Another stupid Weasley, eh? But wait, your mother was a filthy mudblood, wasn't she?"

Lifting his mask, the man who held her neck sneered at her. Lucius Malfoy was still frightening even at his withering old age. Rose flinched. Her lungs were running out of air, and her throat was burning.

The man threw her against the wall behind her, and she felt several ribs crack. No tears escaped her eyes, but the pain was immense.

"Dolohov, finish her off," Lucius stepped back, as another man stepped forward.

Albus flicked his wand, _Silencio_ he whispered, hitting the man Dolohov with it before he could say the spell.

"You foolish boy! There are non-verbal ways of casting spells!" Lucius hissed before disappearing back into the battle.

Dolohov suddenly disarmed Albus and Lily, their wands flying from their hands, and they were thrown back against the wall, a thick rope tying them together.

"_Rose_!" Albus screamed at her.

Before Rose could move, Dolohov slashed his wand several times and then a bright purple flame hit Rose in the chest, and her head fell to her chest, her eyes now closed.

"_Rose_! _ROSE_!"

It was at this time that Harry realised what was going on with his son. crossing to their aid, Harry sent a body bind curse at Dolohov, and he sprawled to the ground.

"Albus, Albus son, it's OK…" he tried to calm his son, as he struggled to get out of the ropes holding him back.

"She's dead…Rose is dead dad…" Albus started to cry as he saw Rose's slumped over body.

"No Albus, trust me, she's not dead. Her mother was hit with the same curse when we were younger. She'll be fine. Just sore and will have to take a lot of potions, but she's fine. Trust me. Thank Merlin you did that Silencing charm on him. The verbal spell would have killed her. That's the same spell that killed Teddy's father Albus. But Hermione survived the non-verbal. Trust me. Look, we're winning the fight. Grab Rose and your sister and get to the Menagerie. You need to get her to St. Mungo's."

Harry released his children from their bindings, and Albus grasped Lily's hand, pulled Rose to a somewhat easier position for him to grab a hold on her and began to drag her to the small store that lay only a few blocks down.

Once they had entered, thankfully having no interference, they were ushered inside by Draco Malfoy.

"What's happened to Rose?" he asked worriedly.

"She was hit by Dolohov's crazy curse, we've got to get her home. Where are we going?"

"Your house, Albus," Draco replied, still staring at Rose.

"Lily, go first and tell them what's happened, we'll follow," he pushed his sister to the fireplace, and seconds later she was gone.

He could feel Rose's heartbeat at his side. She was alive, his father had been right. But for how long?

Entering the fireplace, Albus grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and flicked it down, whilst simultaneously shouting "Potter Residence."

Green flames engulfed them, as they returned to his home. Albus fell out of the fireplace due to Rose's extra weight in his arms.

"Albus! Rose! Oh we were worried sick! I'm so glad you both are OK…wait…what's happened to Rose?"

Victoire had bustled towards them, being the oldest in the room besides Astoria, who sat with her son on a couch, but they immediately perked up at the sight of Rose unconscious.

* * *

**A/N:** Oooh so much action. It was kind of fun to right, albeit mean of me. I threw Dolohov in here as well, like mentioned, Hermione was hit with the same curse, and it's suspected that that was the same curse used to kill Remus Lupin. Also, JKR never mentioned Dolohov's fate, whether he was captured or killed, so I've left him alive. Muahaha.

Anyways, reviews please?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Sorry this has taken me so long to update! I had family in that haven't been here in eight years, and we had to entertain them! So needless to say, it was difficult to get any writing done. I'm a bit behind, as I'm stuck halfway through Chapter Eleven. But I'll catch up soon enough! Anyways, here we go, so forgive me? Please?

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

"She'll be fine, but she has to get to St. Mungo's immediately. How's Hugo and Molly?" Albus questioned, as he had seen the eldest of Percy's children and Rose's brother fall as well. James came over to help hoist Rose up.

"Teddy's taken Molly and Hugo to St. Mungo's. She was hit by four stunners at once. She'll be fine, but she needs to be looked after. Hugo was only hit by one, he was revived but still brought for precautionary reasons." Victoire explained. "Lucy went with them. How's the fight looking?"

"According to dad, we're winning. Lucius disappeared after attacking us, but Dolohov was apprehended, as were the ones that Rose took down. There were only a few black cloaked men standing when we left," Albus gazed back at the fireplace. "Help me take her to St. Mungo's James?" James nodded and they entered the Fireplace, Albus grabbing the Floo powder. Next thing they knew, they stood in St. Mungo's.

The plump blonde woman behind the Reception Desk gave them a funny look, "More of you eh? I suspect you'll want the fifth floor. Go ahead then."

Dragging Rose up four flights of steps was no picnic, but the brothers finally made it to the Spell Damage floor. Inside Healers in bright coloured robes bustled about.

"Could someone help us?" Albus called out.

An old woman, who looked strangely familiar to the boys scrambled over.

"Healer Pomfrey at your service!" she cried, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Pomfrey? As in Madam Pomfrey from Hogwarts?" Scorpius stared.

"Yes, that's my older sister. Now enough about me, what is wrong with the young lady?" the Healer asked, taking control of Rose's body by levitating her to the nearest empty bed.

"We were just attacked – our whole family – by a rogue bunch of Death Eaters and their leader Lucius Malfoy in Diagon Alley…" Albus explained.

"Oh my Merlin! Are you boys alright then…tell me what was she hit with. We just had another red-haired girl and boy brought into the next room over. Are they family?"

"Yes, that's our cousins Molly and Hugo. Are they alright?" Albus answered

"They'll be fine dear. So was this one hit with stunner as well?"

"No. Some purple-flamed curse. I've never seen it before. But apparently the Death Eater Dolohov has used it on her mother before while she was in Hogwarts. My dad said something about it being less powerful when used non-verbally. And since I had silenced the Death Eater, he had no choice. Apparently when said aloud the curse can kill you…" Albus stared worriedly at his cousin laying limply now on the bed.

"Oh yes, OK dears I'll pull up the files and see what my sister used to treat the mother. What was the mother's name?"

"Hermione W-Granger m'am," James spoke for the first time.

"Bless me? Granger? As in married to Ron Weasley? As in this is Rose Weasley, her eldest child and daughter? Why that must make you boys Weasleys as well!"

"Actually no, I'm Albus Potter. And this is James, my brother," Albus said, pointing to each of them in turn.

"Bless my soul; a Weasley, and the Potters. Your cousins Weasleys as well? I can have them moved in here. Miss Rose should not be moved unless it's a dire necessity," Albus nodded.

Moments later, Teddy and Lucy walked in, followed by a levitated Molly Weasley and a groggy looking Hugo, who walked slowly in tow.. Lucy had tears in her eyes, as she stayed as close to her sister as possible, and Teddy rubbed her back soothingly, holding Hugo upright.

"What happened Albus?" Teddy asked, staring intently at Rose's unmoving form. "Is she OK?" Hugo seemed to notice his sister was in the room then, for he rushed to her side.

"_Rose_?" came his voice, cracked as if he hadn't spoken once since he'd been revived.

"She was hit by some odd purple flamed curse. But dad says she'll be fine. Her mum was hit with the same one while in Hogwarts," Albus picked Rose's hand up and gripped it tightly. "I hope everyone else is OK…"

"_WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER? ROSE! ROSE, IT'S DADDY!_"

"Ron's here…" Teddy said, a smirk on his face.

Moments later, a fuming Ron Weasley stumbled into the room, followed by his wife who was sobbing and grasped onto her son standing beside her daughter's bed. Second later Percy and Audrey entered as well, heading straight for their daughter in the other bed, Lucy at their side.

"What's happened?" Ron shrieked at Albus.

"Aunt Hermione. Do you remember the curse the Death Eater Dolohov used on you. The one with the purple flame? Well he used it on her as well…" Albus said, looking at his aunt as Ron sobbed over his daughter.

Hermione's voice cracked. "Verbal…or non-verbal?"

"Non-verbal. I silenced him," Albus grinned at his achievement.

"Then she owes you her life Albus. The curse surely would have killed her had it been verbal," Hermione's eyes glistened with tears. "She won't be able to go to Hogwarts with you boys tomorrow. But she'll be there by the weekend. Would you boys kindly get her notes for her? She'll be quite sore from what I remember. Ten potions a day I was on. Ten! By the end of the week she'll be a lot better. Especially here. I was only taken care of at Hogwarts, but this place is state of the art!"

"Ironically, Auntie, her Healer is Madam Pomfrey's younger sister," Albus chuckled.

Hermione groaned, "She better be just as good, if not better."

Reaching over, she grasped her daughter's hand in hers and held it tight. While Ron sat in a chair next to the bed, sobs raking through his lanky body. It was torture for him seeing his daughter unmoving on a bed, with nothing he could do about it. Hugo stood idly beside his father, but there was clear anguish on his face.

"Alright, out! Out all of you! If you're not immediate family of either child, then out!"

Albus, James and Teddy exited the room, leaving behind both families to wait with their daughters.

The fireplace in the lobby they stood in suddenly burst with green flames and many members of their family began stepping through. First to come was Ginny Potter as she raced for her boys and adoptive son. The fire burst green again and in came Dominique and Louis, with Lily and Scorpius in tow, followed by Fred and Roxanne.

"Oh thank Merlin you three are alright, Victoire told me you headed here, and I feared the worst!" she pulled all her boys into a protective hug. "Your father's alright, but he's stayed behind to help the Aurors that finally arrived. Who's hurt?"

"Molly, Hugo and…Rose," Albus said, choking on their names.

"Oh sweet gobstones, are they alright?" Ginny asked, panicked.

"Molly was hit with a bunch of stunners at once, but they said she'll be fine. And Hugo was just hit by one stunner. He's awake now. Rose was hit by an almost lethal curse. She'll be fine though, I managed to silence Dolohov so the curse wasn't given verbally, which would have killed her. They're in that room," he pointed back to the room in which Ron and Percy's family now resided.

"Is anyone else hurt Ginny?" Teddy asked.

"Angelina took a pretty nasty _Sectumsempra_, but Harry caught it before it could do any damage. Fleur took several _Crucio_'s, but she'll be OK we think. Bill's bringing her here now, and George is bringing Angelina."

Just as this was said, Bill stumbled through the fire, his blonde wife bridal style in his arms, and rushed to the nearest Healer. They weren't long followed by George who was supporting Angelina, helped along by Astoria. They were lead into the room next to Rose and Molly's.

"Where's Mr. Malfoy?"

"He stayed behind to help Harry," Ginny said, looking grim, "Trying to clear up the damage done by his father I assume. The bloody man got away, can you believe that? Him and Dolohov escaped their bindings and Apparated away, followed by several other cloaked men who hadn't been captured. I'm glad you are all going to Hogwarts tomorrow, you'll be safe from harm there. And James, you've only got two more years to smarten yourself up for NEWTs mister, so you better crack open those books of yours. You only got eight OWLs. I hope your happy. I bet Rose will get all twelve!"

"Mum! Eight was one of the highest in my grades! I did a right lot better than Fred. He only had seven!"

"Lucy had ten," Albus piped in.

"Shut it four-eyes," James said, sticking his tongue out at his younger brother while Ginny smacked her eldest upside the head. "_Ow_!"

"That's for being a nuisance," she said grinning.

The Weasleys and Potters sat around the waiting room for what seemed like hours. They were aloud to visit the injured now. The families said one last good bye to those laying in the hospital beds and left accordingly as some family members still hadn't packed for Hogwarts.

Ginny agreed to take Hugo and Lucy home with her, and send them off on the Express tomorrow. Hermione promised to make it up to her son by taking him to Hogsmeade when she and Ron brought Rose into school the weekend. While Percy promised Lucy to be there in the morning, he just didn't want to leave Molly alone tonight. Hugo and Lucy, happy with their bargains trailed along with Lily, Albus and James as they left in the fireplace.

Angelina, swearing she was fine, allowed George to take their children home to get ready as well, as did Fleur. After all, they had to go to Hogwarts in the morning, and it was well into the night now. Victoire and Teddy stayed with Fleur though, assuring Bill and George they would watch over both the women.

Soon, only a few of the Weasley's remained. Hermione and Ron with their daughter, Percy and Audrey with theirs, and Angelina and Fleur, having been transferred to their room, along with Victoire and Teddy. The room was a bit small for ten people, but it was comfortable having everyone so close.

…

Rose didn't wake until late the next morning. Groggily, she sat up in her bed, trying to remember what had happened. All she could remember was a brilliant purple flash of light and then nothing. Hermione lay slumped over her bed, and her father was no where in sight. Across from her was Molly, Audrey sitting next to her bed sullenly as her daughter slept on. Angelina, next to Rose's bed, had long awoken, and was sitting eating a delicious looking array of foods, Fleur was across from her, picking delicately at the food tray in front of her, Victoire asleep at her side on Teddy's lap, who sat quite awake.

Teddy caught Rose's eye and winked. Fleur, having noticed, brightened up immensely.

"Oh Rose, 'ow are you?" she asked, her French accent, though not as strong as it once was, having been around the Weasleys for so long, poked through her words.

Angelina having heard Fleur, turned to Rose's bed, a smile sitting on her face. "Oh I'm so glad to see you're awake dear," her smile grew, if possible.

Audrey gave her a look as if to say she agreed.

Hermione awoke then, and the first thing she noticed was her daughter's brilliant brown eyes looking down at her.

"Rose!" Hermione sprang up and wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. Rose winced, but accepted the hug none-the-less, glad here mother was there for her. "Oh Rose, I've been so worried. Now don't panic, but you've been asleep all night. I told the boys you'd arrive to Hogwarts by the time the weekend came…"

"_NO WAY_! I _missed _the _train_!" Rose stared at her mother, her mouth wide open.

"It'll be fine dear, Headmistress McGonagall knows."

"NO! It will not be fine. No way am I missing my first night in Hogwarts as a Prefect!" Rose struggled to get out of bed, only to wince as her chest moved. "_Ow_!"

"Fine, look, I will compromise. How about I apparate with you to Hogsmeade, and you can meet everyone off the train, and go to the Feast. But the moment you've brought all the first years to the Tower, you go straight to the Hospital Wing for treatment from Madam Pomfrey. I will make sure you do by Floo."

"That's brilliant Mum!" Rose hugged her mother.

"Well the train doesn't get there until roughly six tonight, so for now, how about you sleep, and I'll make sure you have everything packed. I'll follow your packing list, OK?"

Rose nodded. "Oh, and your father will join you for lunch, I'll make sure they bring you some breakfast now that you're awake." Hermione exited the room, but not before blowing a kiss to her daughter.

Victoire awoke then, letting out a large, very unladylike yawn. Teddy only chuckled, but Fleur glared at her oldest child. Laughing, Victoire slid off of Teddy's lap and approached Rose's bed.

"Glad to see you're awake kiddo, I don't know what I would have done if you'd – " Victoire stopped herself. "Well, you know." Hugging her younger cousin, she smiled. "At least everyone is fine now. Molly was awake earlier this morning, but went back to sleep after Lucy left to head off to the train. Fred and Roxanne were here too to visit Aunt Angelina, and even Albus and Scorpius came to see you, but you weren't awake yet. They left those," pointing to the pile of stuff on the desk beside her bed.

Turning, Rose found piles of Chocolate Frogs, Drooble's best blowing gum, Lemon Drops, Liquorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and much more. Rose felt as if she'd hardly missed the train with all the sweets before her. Those boys knew her too well.

Grabbing a Chocolate Frog, she ripped the wrapper open, and grabbed the little guy before it could hop away. She found the easiest way to end the charm was bite their heads off, so she did just that. The sticky Chocolate Frog lay motionless now in her hand. Rose took this time to see what card she had gotten. Turning it over, she grinned at the sight of sneering Professor Severus Snape. Her uncle Harry had to do a lot of persuading and pay a lot of money to get him on a card, but it finally went through. It was also apparently rare to get him, so Rose slipped it in her pocket to show Albus later.

After having a fair snack, she moaned with joy as an Assistant Healer brought more food in in the form of breakfast. The plate was piled high with bacon, eggs, sausages and toast, plus a large glass of orange juice and some fruit.

By the time Rose had finished eating, the plate was entirely empty, not a scrap left behind. Teddy laughed as she chugged the last of her juice and laid her empty glass back down on the table.

"Hungry?" he asked her.

"I was starved!" she exclaimed, laughing along with him as she moved her empty tray aside. "So what happened after I was cursed? I barely even remember that."

"Well," Teddy began, "Albus and Lily dragged you out of there, and the fight continued on now that everyone under seventeen was out of there. Harry managed to round up a bunch of Death Eaters just as several Aurors showed up to clear them out. Lucius, Dolohov and several others vanished before they showed up and they're still loose somewhere. We've got Draco and Astoria under severe protection, and Scorpius is on his way to Hogwarts. Several Aurors are on the train as precaution, but he'll be fine, as will everyone else.

"But we'll be keeping an eye on you and Albus as well, after he attacked you guys for the second time, he knows you're friends with Scorpius. Hogwarts is the safest place to be, thank Merlin."

By the time lunch rolled around, Audrey and Molly had left, Molly being deemed healthy enough to go home, as did Fleur and Victoire. Teddy, however, stayed to keep Angelina and Rose entertained.

"You know Rose, in their second year, your father and your Uncle Harry missed the train to Hogwarts," Angelina said, smiling at the memory.

"Really?" Rose asked, intrigued now of the story sure to come.

"Yep. Some house elf named Dobby was apparently trying to '_Save Harry Potter's life_'. Quite funny really. He barricaded the entrance onto the Platform, and your dimwitted father suggested their Flying Ford Anglia. Needless to say they _flew_ to Hogwarts that night. Caused a lot of damage to the Whomping Willow they did. Apparently that car is still hiding out in the Forbidden Forest. George reckons the centaurs are trying to figure out if Venus sent it to them in some celestial form of a gift. I reckon it's just been in hiding."

Laughing, Rose realized another voice had joined in their laughter. Turning she saw her father in the doorway.

"Hi dad," Rose said with a grin, "You never told me you _flew_ to Hogwarts once!"

"I thought I'd be better off not giving you ideas," he said with a grin, "Glad to see your awake Rosie. I brought you all some good home-made lunch. No more Cafeteria food for you three."

Holding up the tiny basket in his arms, he flicked his wand and the basket grew to four times it's size with food spilling out of it. "Hermione didn't want you guys going hungry."

Tucking in to the wonderfully home cooked meal, the four of them told other Hogwarts stories while they ate, Ron even telling them about the Chamber of Secrets, and how Ginny had been possessed by You-Know-Who's memory trapped in a diary. Angelina told them of when Harry first joined the Quidditch teams and how ridiculously uncoordinated he had been in many of the first few practises. Molly kept quiet, too intently listening to her elders speak, but Rose took turns with her stories.

By the time dinner rolled around, Rose was allowed to leave alongside her mother and father. Apparating home, she stumbled out of her parents grips from the jerk she received, and landed on the couch.

"How long until we leave mum?" Rose asked.

"An hour and a half dear. You can take a nap if you wish," Hermione said, smiling at her daughter. And Rose did just that.

Crawling up to her room, she slipped under her comforter and drifted off into a soundless sleep, where she dreamt she wasn't on ten different potions a day and was just getting off the Express with the boys.

…

Apparition was still a little painful, but it was worth it when Rose found herself in Hogsmeade waiting for the train to arrive with all of her fellow students on board. She'd be damned if she missed her first night as a Prefect. She'd already missed the meeting, and would have to have Scorpius fill her in on everything she had missed on the carriage ride up.

Hermione, saying good bye to her daughter, apparated home with a loud _Crack_, leaving Rose with Hagrid on the Platform.

"So Rose, heard ye all had a runnin with some Death Eaters yesterday," Hagrid commented, breaking the silence between them, "Glad ter hear none of ye were hurt bad. Molly junior, Angelina and Fleur alright then?"

"Yeah, Molly is fine. As is Aunt Fleur. Aunt Angelina might have to stay another night, but she's fine," Rose smiled at her family's strength. Nothing could take the Weasley's down.

"Ah! Here's the train then, off ye go now, find yer friends. Sure Albus an' Scorpius'll have lots ter tell yeh. FIRS' YEARS O'ER HERE!" he suddenly bellowed as the doors to the train opened.

Surprisingly, first off the train were Albus and Scorpius as they raced towards her.

"I thought you weren't coming until Saturday at least!" Albus cried, hugging his cousin.

"We saw you on the platform and had to push a bunch of Hufflepuffs out of the way just to see you first!" Scorpius grinned at their work.

"Aw how sweet! Now let's get a carriage, you have to tell me ALL about the Prefect's meeting Scorpius," she grinned, dragging the two boys off by their arms.

Climbing into the first carriage, they were joined quickly by Sarah, who was gushing over Rose, intent on knowing that she was OK. When Rose assured her friend she was fine, Sarah sighed with relief and leaned skilfully into Albus' side.

"_I missed you Albus_…" she purred slyly.

Rose giggled, and Scorpius snorted. Albus turned red, Rose swore if he had been a Gryffindor, he'd be the same color as the tie he would have donned.

"Missed you too Sarah," he grinned, wrapping his arm around her.

It was obvious to everyone now that they liked each other. But according to Sarah's whining, he still hadn't made anything official. And she was feeling put out because of it.

Sarah pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. Ever since the end of last year, she had transformed into that small shy girl to the outspoken one that was now before Rose. It had surprised Rose a bit, but it surprised Albus the most. He feared he had changed her. Which, in retrospect, was true. But it was more because Sarah felt like she could be herself in front of Albus, and not have to hide behind her smarts. Only Rose beat Sarah in every class. She was Rose's academic rival in reality, and Rose enjoyed every moment of it.

Scorpius just laughed. His best friend was completely oblivious to the upset girl in his arms. If Rose ever looked at him in that way…

No. Scorpius mentally slapped himself. After this summer he promised himself that until his grandfather was caught, he couldn't even think of Rose in that way, let alone actually try to be with her. It was bad enough that he tortured Rose and Albus because they were his friends. Imagine if Rose was his _girlfriend_. She'd be a walking target, and he couldn't allow that.

"So Scorpius, what did I miss at the meeting?" Rose suddenly asked, breaking the awkward silence that had seemed to fall upon them.

"Well," he said, reaching in his bag and handing her a sheet of paper. "That's a list of all the passwords. All prefects need to know them in the case of an emergency. The paper will update itself if a password were to change. There's a patrol schedule on the back. They're mixing it up this year. You'll have a different patrol partner every week, it's sort of a system. So let's see, you're with Leah from Gryffindor first week. Only ten to eleven on the fourth floor. That's an easy shift. It's all classrooms, no closets or anything to check. Next week is – "

Scorpius stopped mid-sentence.

"Who Scorpius?" Rose asked, concerned, "Who am I paired with?"

"William…Dolohov…" Scorpius cast his eyes down.

Rose and Albus tensed.

"Seriously? How can they even _think_ of doing that! Rose. Talk to the Heads. They'll fix this. Mandy's Head Girl, she'll know what to do…" Scorpius rambled.

"Look don't worry about it. I'll give the first night a shot. Maybe he's nothing like his grandfather? If he is, then I'll go to Mandy," Rose said, firmly. Albus and Scorpius knew she was not to be argued with and dropped the subject.

"On the plus side, you're with me the third week!" Scorpius said, trying to cheer her up.

"That's great Scorpius! And we get the Astronomy Tower! That's always easiest. You just go up there, kick everyone out then lock the door and you're free for an hour to do as you please!" Rose grinned. This however, made Scorpius' ears turn a light pink, which Albus happened to catch.

"Anyways, did I miss anything else?" Rose asked.

"Oh. Professor Wood was replaced by Professor Jordan, as you suspected. Oh, and something new has been added. You know how the Head Boy and Girl only had an office before?" Rose nodded, "Well, in an attempt to promote house unity and such, Head Boy and Girl now get their own Common Room and single quarters to use as they wish. They can stay in their dormitories if they want, or sleep there. Whatever they prefer. Mandy was delighted when she was handed the note by Professor Corner. You know why?"

Rose grimaced a little. It still hurt sometimes to hear him talk about Mandy. Although the two of them were just friends now, Rose couldn't help but picturing her on his lap that night in the Great Hall in fourth year. "Why?"

"Because Head Boy is Justin Flint."

"_No_," Sarah suddenly piped in.

"_Yes_," Scorpius said, clearly mocking her, but a grin slid on his face.

"You mean the guy she's totally been crushing on since like second year? As in hottest bad boy in Slytherin? As in _totally available_ and suave guy with the highest grades in seventh year? I think I just swooned…" Sarah drawled off. Albus smacked her lightly upside the head, while she responded with a giggle.

Rose only rolled her eyes. "Well we all know what they'll use that Common Room for then…" she said, grimacing.

"What's wrong prude-pants? Rather not hear about the birds and the bees?" came the voice of William Dolohov in the next carriage over. Thankfully the carriages began to move then, as he would have seen Rose's cheeks begin to flame red.

"Don't listen to him Rose," Albus said, his face growing dark. Albus had never liked William before, and he definitely didn't like him now. They would just have to do their best to keep him far away from Rose as possible.

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice shook slightly, and they could tell she was lying.

…

The four of them sat quietly through the Sorting and the Feast, not really saying a word Rose took two more of her ten potions she had to take that day, the rest she would receive from Madam Pomfrey.

When it came time for the Prefects to lead the first years upstairs, she followed Scorpius and the other Prefects and they led the way.

At the top of the tower, Rose reached out and knocked on the door, remembering how it was her first time entering the tower, and being first to answer the question.

'_Welcome back old friends, and welcome all new ones._' The eagle's voice filled the small tower stairway, several first years jumping at the sound. '_In Ravenclaw dwell those with intellect and wit, am I correct?_' The first years all nodded. '_So unlike any other house, we like to use your talents any chance we can get. To enter your Common Room, instead of giving me a pre-chosen password, I like to challenge my students with a little riddle. The riddle must be answered correctly in order to enter, though. Sometimes it's difficult, other times it's simple. I try to go easy on you first years. But rest assured, I won't always._'

"Er…what if we don't answer it correctly?" asked a blonde boy at the front.

'_Then you must wait for another student to approach and help you, or for one to exit from the inside._'

"Well that's rubbish! What if we get stuck out here all night!" cried a sneering black haired girl near the back. Rose wondered why this girl hadn't been placed in Slytherin where it seemed she belonged.

'_Then you learn a valuable lesson, don't you? Not everyone knows the answer to everything. Everyone has room to grow in their abilities._'

"Alright now, the first years need to be getting to bed. Give them their first riddle now," Mandy prodded the door.

'_Alright, alright: My mother feels I am a pain; yet with her I do remain. 'Til I leave at last her house; for the neck of a rich man's spouse._'

Rose had to bite her tongue not to answer right away, and it seemed the answer dawned on Scorpius as well, as he suddenly grinned.

Leaning into Rose, he smirked, "_This one's easy_…" he whispered.

Only moments later did that same black haired girl in the back blurt out the answer. "It's a pearl for Hippogriff's sake!" she groaned. "You know, a pearl starts as a grain of sand, that irritates the oyster. So it coats it in the substance that makes it a pearl. Then the pearl is removed and sold on a necklace to a rich man's wife! Easy!"

'_Correct young one. Miss Bradley I presume. Ah yes, daughter of Patrick and Cho Bradley. Lots of talent in that brain of yours, and I expect it will show in your classes. Now run along students, it's quite late!_'

Entering the Common Room, Rose smiled as the first years stared around in awe. Mandy gave the speech about the dormitories, and then everyone was off.

"Ah! Rose!" Mandy bustled towards her and Scorpius. Albus and Sarah had just entered the Common Room as well and they approached Rose and Scorpius. "Glad to see you're alright! I suppose Scorpius here gave you all of the info?" Rose nodded, "Good. Oh, and one more thing. We need to hold another try-outs this year. As Ryan and Charles graduated, we have a Beater and Chaser position open. We got the pitch first this year, two weeks from Saturday, and I need everyone there, OK?" Rose nodded once more. "Good, because we definitely need a Keeper for the Chaser try-outs! Albus and Scorpius, you both better be there too!" They copied Rose's nod.

"Wouldn't have it any other way Captain," and with that, Scorpius smirked.

"Anyways, I got to head up to the Hospital Wing. No matter how much I hate it, I promised mum I would. I'm just going to change into some pyjamas, grab my stuff for tomorrow, and head up there."

Hopping up the stairs to the girl's dormitories, Rose donned the fresh new pair of deep blue Ravenclaw pyjamas she had purchased the day before, and threw her school clothes in her bag. She left her books, as she could grab them once she had her schedule in the morning.

She found Scorpius, Albus and Sarah sitting on a couch by the fire together.

"I'll see you guys at the breakfast table then?" Rose asked.

"Of course Rose! Oh the room will be so boring without you tonight!" Sarah said, pouting.

"It'll only be until the weekend. That curse took a lot out of me yesterday. Only reason I'm not in a bed right now is because of the extra dosage of a Pepper Up potion that I'm taking!"

The boys waved good bye as Sarah hugged Rose before she left. Traipsing out into the corridor, she trudged her way to her least favourite part of the castle.

"Ah! Miss Weasley, I was just wondering when you would arrive! Your potions are by the bed side. But as you seemed to be doing quite well at dinner, I've lowered your dosage. You'll be good as new by Saturday, mark my word!" Rose grinned, "Now dear, how was my sister? I have not seen her in a while, and this was my first time hearing from her in several months."

"Oh she's doing lovely Madam Pomfrey, she took good care of my family and I while we were in St. Mungo's. But no one beats your care, of course!"

Madam Pomfrey blushed with appreciation. "Nonsense dearie. Now drink up and get a good night's sleep. I'll awake you for breakfast in the morning if you wish." Rose nodded. "Good night Miss Weasley." And with that, she bustled into her office for the night.

Rose climbed into the bed that had been laid out for her. Taking the five potions laid out for her, Rose slid down under the duvet and sleep overtook her in moments.

…

"Good morning boys!" cooed Rose as she sat across from Scorpius and Albus at the table, with Sarah on her left.

"Hey Rose, how was your night?" Sarah asked.

"Boring. But at least the potions put me right to sleep, so it wasn't so bad," Rose said, grimacing as she turned to pick some toast out of the basket. "_Shoot_," she hissed between her teeth, grasping her side.

"Rose? Are you OK?" Albus asked, worried for his cousin.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just moved something funny, that's all," placing her hand with some pressure on her side she felt a little better. "That's much better."

Scorpius stayed silent. He was too worried about Rose, and didn't want to give her the wrong impression.

Professor Duke was coming around then with everyone's schedules. Rose grabbed hers, and muttered a thanks to the Professor as he passed on.

"OK, so Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs until eleven. Then Potions for an hour with Gryffindors. Oh how lovely…" Rose glared at her schedule, "Arithmancy followed by two hours of Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins." Groaning, she finished off the food before her, and hurried from her chair. "Sorry guys, got to grab my books now or I'll be late, see you in fifteen minutes!" she cried over her shoulder racing from the Great Hall.

"Sweet! That means I have a free period after lunch!" Albus said, clapping his hands together. "As do you, I believe?" he directed towards Sarah, who consequently blushed and nodded. "Good," he finished, a smirk growing on his lips.

"Well we better head off, or we'll miss our chance to grab our books!" Scorpius said, dragging his two friends out of the Great Hall.

Transfiguration passed by easy enough, with McGonagall droning on about how this was their OWLs year, and they would be getting a load of homework, starting with that very night. They were to practise using the spell _Duro_ and write three feet on what it does and why this spell would be useful in modern life.

"For Merlin's sake. The spell turns things to stone. Simple. And she expects three _feet_. Good Godric, McGonagall is losing it!" Rose groaned into her hands.

"It's bound to at least be easier than the Potions class we're about to endure. I just heard a sixth year Hufflepuff mutter something about Blood Replenishing Potions for OWL students. _They're NEWT level!_" Scorpius whined.

"Oh we'll be fine Scorpius. I'm worried about poor Albus here. We all know how dreadful he is at Potions," Rose grinned.

"I'm not _that_ bad! I got an E on the final exam last term! I wasn't that good at the practical, that's all! But my written exam was perfect!" Albus huffed and crossed his arms.

"Oh hush now Albus. We all know that with me as your partner this year, you'll be fine. You had Robert last year remember? His always somehow managed to make everything explode in your faces. It's a wonder that boy even has eyebrows!" Sarah laughed.

"My mum says his father was the same," Rose grinned. "Robert's dad Seamus Finnigan was in their House and year when they were at Hogwarts. He was ruddy at Potions too!"

"Anyways. We better hurry, Professor Goldstein hates when we are late…" groaned Sarah.

Finding spots at the back of the room, they paired up before anyone else could sit beside them. Rose pulled out her new cauldron from the storage room, and cracked open her pre-read Potions text.

"As you may have already heard – " came the voice of their Professor from the front of the room. "I have been testing all of my OWL students with a more difficult Potions. This Potion's results will affect how I grade the rest of your Potions throughout the term. If your Potion turns out exceptional, which is rare, then I will expect the rest of your potions this year to follow, or your grades will be low. If your potion turns out dreadful, and the rest of your potions seem to follow, then your grade will be low. If your potion is somewhat on a lower scale, and the rest of your potions improve. Then high marks will be awarded. Understand?" Nods went around the room.

"Now, turn to page six hundred and thirty four. There you will find the Blood Replenishing Potion. Yes, I am aware this is a NEWT level potion. But I wish for you to attempt it anyways. All the ingredients are in the cupboard. Begin."

Rose stood abruptly, as she had already flipped to the page and memorized the ingredients list. "I'll retrieve them. You start the fire under our cauldrons please?" Scorpius nodded, and she began to collect the ingredients.

By the time class ended, the room was filled with a thick deep purple smoke that had emitted from Robert Finnigan's cauldron, Leah Vance shaking her head beside him.

Rose and Scorpius' cauldrons, however, were the prefect deep red that the book described, with the odour of iron emitting off of the liquid. It burned Rose's nose to smell the scent of blood, but she ignored it.

Even Albus' potion was a nice red color, although it could have been a bit darker. And Sarah's potion nearly matched theirs perfectly.

As the Professor came around the room, he marked the cauldrons accordingly. Robert received an Acceptable, as his potion had somehow turned red amidst the smoke, and held the right odour. Only one person received a Dreadful, Zacharias Ackerley hung his head in shame. It seemed he had forgotten his Belladonna at the beginning and his potion had turned an unfortunate green.

When Professor Goldstein approached their table, he smirked.

"Now here we have some nearly perfect potions. An E for you Mister Potter, while the rest of you receive O's. Forty points to Ravenclaw for an exceptional job." Clapping, he returned to the front of the room and dismissed them.

"That wasn't so bad now was it Al?" Sarah asked him.

"No, but you still all did better than me," he groaned with a pout.

"But you always beat us all in Charms. Except when it comes to the written exam portion. You're Bat Bogey Hex was awesome last year, you even made Professor Corner cower and award you fifty points!" Rose gushed.

"True…" Albus said, brightening up.

"And you had one of the highest marks in Defence last year!" Sarah bragged.

"Also true…" Albus was smiling now.

"Feel better now Al?" Scorpius cooed.

"Yes, now shove it. It's lunch time and I'm _starved_…" racing ahead of them, Albus burst into the Great Hall. Rose simply rolled her eyes as she followed her cousin to their table.

"I am not looking forward to this afternoon. Defence will not be my favourite subject this year, I can tell." Groaning, Rose began to fill her plate.

"On the plus side, when it comes to the practical part, you can hex him and make it look like an accident!" Albus said laughing.

Rose smacked him upside the head. "I can't do that silly." As Rose tucked into the ham sandwich on her plate, she watched as Professor Duke made his way down the table, but seemed to be heading for them.

"Hello Miss Weasley, Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy and Miss Boot. I just wanted to let you all know that as this is your OWLs year, you are all expected to attend a career consultation with myself sometime before Christmas. Feel free to come any time you wish, my door is almost always open. However, if you have not come to see me by December…I will personally hunt you down. Anyways, carry on," with a wink he was off.

"For a Professor, he's pretty hot," came a female voice beside them. Looking down Rose saw Connie grinning, obviously the one who had spoken. Felicity just sat there quietly. Ever since last year, she had taken to just ignoring them whenever she was in their presence. Especially Rose. The only one whom she ever spoke to in their group was Scorpius. But he only replied out of politeness, not a want to.

"I will agree with you on that Connie," Rose said, smirking in Sarah's direction.

Scorpius felt his stomach settle uneasily, and the urge to vomit suddenly rose up his throat. Grabbing his bag, he stood from the table. "I'll see you in Arithmancy Rose," he said, surprisingly with a calm voice.

Rose watched bewildered as Scorpius stood and left for no reason. How odd of him. Then again, with recent events, he was aloud to act weird.

But Scorpius never showed up for Arithmancy, and when Rose entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, he was not present, and she had been the last to enter before Professor Macmillan closed the door.

Slumping in her desk, Rose groaned as the Professor droned on about OWLs like every other one had today.

Something caught her eye then, and looking down she saw a crumpled up piece of paper that had just landed on her desk. Looking around, she saw William Dolohov to her right diagonal grinning smugly at her, and motioning for her to open it.

With careful hands, she pried the paper open. On it was a small note.

'_You. Me. Astronomy Tower. Midnight?_' was all it read.

Rose just happened to remember suddenly the two prefects who were conveniently patrolling the Astronomy Tower tonight, and with a plan weaving in her head, she nervously looked up at the boy and nodded her head. He proceeded to smirk at her, then turn around. William would probably tell all of his friends what he planned to do to her, but Rose didn't care. If he tried anything, word would get out of what _she _would do to _him_.

As class ended, Rose followed Albus and Sarah out of the Castle and onto the grounds. It was still a lovely day outside, and dinner wasn't for another two hours. Rose decided to tell them of her plan.

"It's dangerous Rose," Albus warned.

"I know, but I can handle it. And we all know Lucy will rip him limb from limb, and Fred will make sure he knows who the Weasleys really are," Rose grinned, it was perfect.

See tonight on Prefect duty were her cousins Lucy and Fred. How in Merlin's name did Fred ever become a Prefect, no one really knows. Perhaps to show James a good example? Or to straighten Fred up himself? McGonagall was crazy, that was it.

So she planned to meet William up there, and see what his intentions were, while Lucy and Fred would wait in the shadows if anything wrong were to happen. Speaking of which, Rose needed to find them to inform them on the plan.

And more importantly, find out what happened to Scorpius.

* * *

**A/N:** So? Like it? :) I thought it was good, and I liked giving Madam Pomfrey a sister! Oh and I didn't randomly write William into it. He's actually been in the story the whole time, I just never mentioned his name. See I had all the students in Rose's year sorted out in my head.

In Ravenclaw were Rose, Albus, Scorpius, Sarah, Connie, Felicity, Jacob and Tyler.  
In Gryffindor, Dominique, Leah Vance, Wendy Bones, Bella Tunstall, Mitchell Scott, Zacharias Ackerley, Chris Jones, Alex Davies and Robert Finnigan.  
In Hufflepuff, Jenna Creevey, Charlotte Macmillan, Alexis Abercrombie, Kaleigh Barbary, Cameron Peakes, Isaac Collins, and Allen McLaggen.  
In Slytherin, Lilah Derrick, Ashley Harper, Emily Pritchard, Mark Ellsworth, Ben Underwood, William Dolohov and Peter Jugson.

Hope that clears some things up! So do you forgive me? Hope so! Reviews please?


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Sorry this update took so long, and I know I promised some of you an update by last weekend, but here's your beautiful chapter eleven! What with the beginning of second year in university, it's been a busy week, and it's been hard to write. And it's going to get a little harder, considering I have a paper upcoming already that needs to be like 14 pages long. But I think that will be fine for me, I mean it's about the size of one chapter for this story. Speaking of chapter, the reason it takes me so long is that I've finally caught up with myself. I already had about 9 chapters pre-written, so all the chapters going up now are new and freshly drawn up. Also, they are the least edited. So if you spot a mistake, let me know!

I'm trying to map out now what I want to do with the rest of this story. There's still a huge piece of plotline not done yet. The whole Romania/Diagon Alley thing was the first major piece of plotline included in this story. Also, I plan to cover each year in school, definitely. With the heaviest focus on these last three years. Fifth year wont be as long as the other two, but the first few months will have to drag out. Also, I do plan to do an epilogue. So I plan for this story to reach 30+ chapters, if possible. If you don't like reading stories that long, then too bad XD.

Anyways, here is your long awaited chapter eleven! PS: You'll all love me and hate me for this chapter :D

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

Rose found herself at about fifteen minutes before midnight hidden amongst the shadows on the Astronomy Tower. Lucy and Fred had hidden themselves in the small closet just inside the tower doors, and Dolohov was due any minute.

Wringing her hands together, Rose paced the open tower as the wind blew her auburn hair this way and that, tangling the tresses beyond repair. But Rose didn't care.

Finally, what seems like ten minutes later, the door to the tower face opened, and in walked William, his dark hair shining in the moon light. Shuddering, Rose backed up slightly.

"Hello Rose," he said. Although his voice was calm, Rose could hear the underlying venom in his words. Rose was glad she had Lucy and Fred for back up.

"Hello William," she spat back.

"You obviously knew I was coming up here with ulterior motives, or you wouldn't have left your two cousins in the closet by the door," Rose stared at him in shock, "I'm a Prefect, I know the schedules, too. But don't worry, I dealt with them." Gulping, Rose gripped her wand, that she had up her sleeve, tighter.

"What do you mean, dealt with them?" she practically squeaked out.

"Well let's just say _Petrificus Totalus _works wonders when you need someone out of your way. As do permanent locking charms," a sneer appeared on his face as he began to step closer to her.

Rose went to step back further, but found her back had inched up against the railing surrounding the edge of the tower. She had no where else to go.

"Too bad, I should have brought them up here, they would have enjoyed the show." He was only a foot from her quavering body now. Rose pulled her wand out, whipping it as fast as she could to place it at his neck.

"You even _think_ about touching me, and you'll regret it," she spat.

"Too late," and with that he smacked Rose's wand arm from his throat, sending her wand across the tower's floor and into the shadows. She was completely defenceless.

William grabbed her wrists first, forcing them to her sides. "_I plan to finish what my grandfather started,_" he hissed in her ear, forcing her to shudder. His lips were then forcing their way onto her neck as he sucked his way across her skin.

Rose shook, trying hard to escape, but it was to no avail. He was way too strong and held her tightly. Tears escaped her eyes as she struggled in his grip.

Suddenly the door burst open and William's body was forced from hers and her knees buckled beneath her. Sobs began raking Rose's body as she shook on the ground.

Scorpius let his fists continue to pound into William's stomach as he forced him off of Rose. He thanked his lucky stars that he ran into Albus right before he had to leave for his patrols starting at midnight. Albus informed him that Rose would be on the Astronomy Tower attempting to confront Dolohov, and Scorpius felt that something was amiss and he needed to be there straight away.

And as he opened the tower door, he was correct. Flicking his wand, William was thrown off of Rose and across the tower's floor. Scorpius could hear Rose's sobs, but he couldn't let William just get away with what he had just done.

"_Scorpius_…" came Rose's voice through her sobs. Stopping with his fist in mid air, Scorpius turned and saw her looking up at him from the ground, tears in her eyes, but that wasn't the only thing. Fear.

He knew she wanted him to stop. For good measure though, he sent a bone crunching punch to William's face, and grinned as he heard something crack and blood began to spurt from his nose.

Lifting himself off of the howling boy, he approached Rose. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close. "Shh…It's alright Rosie. He can't hurt you now, and he never will again, I promise."

Rose only continued to sob, but she managed to choke out, "He…he's locked L-Lucy and F-Fred in th-the c-closet b-by the d-door…T-that's why th-this all w-went wr-wrong…"

"Let's go get them, shall we?" he asked, trying to smile a little, hoping to brighten her up. Lifting her off the floor, he approached the door to the tower, leaving the now cursing William behind. Scorpius made sure to put some extra hexes and jinxes on the door, so when he decided to return to his dorm, he'd have a few surprises.

Opening the closet door with several tries of unlocking spells, they managed to finally wrench open the door. Side by side lay the frozen bodies of Lucy and Fred, they're eyes pleading to be unfrozen.

Scorpius removed the spell, and the two immediately jumped to Rose's side.

"_Rose_! Oh Rose I'm so sorry! He ambushed us and locked us in Rose!" Lucy began crying for her cousin, and out of guilt.

"The bloody bastard…we could hear every word that came out of his vile mouth. Rosie, don't worry about him. We'll take care of him…" Fred practically growled, "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He's been dealt with for the time being…" Scorpius grinned at his accomplishments.

"We've got to tell the Headmistress Rose…" Lucy said, pleading with her cousin.

"No." What Rose said was final to them, there was no room to question it. "I don't want to have to deal with the aftermath. Scorpius was right. He's dealt with it, for now. Feel free to do whatever you want to him all week. You have all rights…" Rose grinned through her tears. "Now get me to bed my shining knight," Rose directed to Scorpius.

"Yes my lady," Scorpius responded with a ridiculous, albeit grand bow, and took her by the arm back downstairs.

Lucy looked at Fred.

"When will those two _ever_ get together?" she whined.

"Who knows cousin, who knows…" Fred groaned in response.

…

To Albus, Rose and Scorpius seemed distant at breakfast, but neither would tell her what had happened atop the Astronomy Tower. This only made him grumpy, and seeing William Dolohov with a bruised up face and not knowing what had happened to him up there only made him grumpier.

"Al, just drop it, OK? They're not going to tell you, and it's safe to say that it looks like Scorpius took care of the matter…"

"I thought Fred and Lucy were supposed to. That was Rose's whole plan," groaning, he finished his breakfast. Rose and Scorpius had left minutes before to get ready for Potions.

"Hey Albus. Sarah," Mandy announced as she sat besides them. "Albus, can you let Rose know that I switched her patrol partner next week like she asked me to, and let her know I've arranged it so Dolohov will never be on a patrol with her."

Albus only nodded as Mandy gave her thanks and left them.

"See? I didn't even know she had already asked to switch her partners around! It's like Rose doesn't even trust me any more…" Albus sighed and let his head rest against the table.

"Oh shut up Albus. Rose trusts you more than anything. Look, I'd say Dolohov tried to attack her last night, and Scorpius was her knight in shining armour last night, and she's just really appreciative right now." Sarah poked him in the ribs, trying to gage a response out of him.

"More like nerd in wrinkled aluminum foil…" Albus grumbled. Sarah only laughed in response as she dragged him from the table.

Potions passed by quickly enough. They all managed to brew a well done Draught of Peace, which in fact had been almost perfectly clear in Albus' sake, earning him his first Outstanding. But still, Rose barely said a word to Albus, all her attention focused on Scorpius.

Albus was OK with the two of them being friends. He was sure of that. But knowing that they both liked each other now made him a little wary. Would he be the third wheel if they started dating? Would Rose forget about her best friend and cousin? From the looks of it, his answers were all yes. This made Albus wish he'd removed Rose from that train compartment in first year.

But did he really wish that?

He'd never have Scorpius as a friend then. He'd probably be in Gryffindor where the hat wanted him to be with Rose at his side, while Scorpius sat alone in Ravenclaw. He'd be sharing a room with the five other Gryffindor boys, Mitchell Scott, Zacharias Ackerley, Chris Jones, Alex Davies and Robert Finnigan.

Rose wouldn't have been tortured in Romania. They'd never have been attacked in Diagon Alley last summer. Dolohov would never have almost killed Rose.

And it would just be him and Rose, like it should have been in the first place. No Scorpius, no William Dolohov, no Lucius Malfoy. Nothing.

They were supposed to find a compartment together, and people were supposed to sit with _them_. And then they would be sorted into Gryffindor with most of their family. That had been their plan that summer.

Not to befriend one Scorpius Malfoy and become Ravenclaws.

Albus groaned. What was he thinking? Scorpius was his friend too! And here he was pining over his lost friendship with Rose…They were still friends! Maybe not as close as they used to be, but she trusted him with secrets. Besides Scorpius, Albus was the only person to ever see her cry. He knew things about her that no one else did.

Like how when she was younger, she'd have nightmares about Death coming to her in the night after hearing about the Three Brothers. Like how Rose wished her hair was blonde sometimes so she could pretend to be Victoire's little sister. Like how when Hugo was born, she tried to shove him back where it came from.

Albus knew lots of things.

But was it enough to claim his rightful spot as best friend anymore?

He hoped so.

…

"Scorpius! Wait up!" Rose called from behind him. Turning, he saw Rose as she raced towards him. "Hi," she breathed, once she'd finally reached him.

"Hello Rose," he said with a grin. All day she had followed him around like a puppy.

Frankly, he was starting to get annoyed. He was used to the old Rose, the one who hung around both him and Albus, and not just him as if he were a lifeline. Ever since the night before she had hardly left his side. Scorpius, at first, mused that she was afraid William might want revenge. But no, it was as if she felt eternally grateful and had devoted her life to be by his side.

"So where are we headed now?" she asked.

"Actually, since we have a free period, I was going to take a nap. We were up late last night, remember?" Rose nodded, "So if you don't mind, I'm going up to my dorm."

Rose felt as if that was a slap to the face when he said that last sentence so bitterly. She simply nodded once more and let him walk away. What was up with him today? And Albus too, they'd been acting strange all day.

Deciding to spend her free period in the library she sped off to her favourite secluded table in the back, hoping to mope. She hadn't been able to weasel the reason for his disappearance the day before out of him, and she'd finally given up during lunch. Sitting down in the plush but hard backed chair, she pulled out her Ancient Runes textbook, hoping to go over the notes she had taken for today's class.

A shadow soon covered her book, and looking up, she was surprised to see Allen McLaggen leaning over her table.

"Hello Allen," she greeted politely. They were acquaintances, having been partners on projects before.

"Mind if I sit Rose? You looked sort of like you needed some company," he prompted.

"Sure, go ahead," Rose sat back up, not realizing how far she had slouched down.

Allen sat across from her, pulling out his Ancient Runes text. They'd only had one class so far in it, and already he felt overwhelmed. But he knew Rose was the best at the subject.

"Rose, I know you're busy a lot, and especially now with being a Prefect and all, but do you think that sometimes throughout the year you can help me through Ancient Runes? I'm good at it, but I get stuck all of the time," groaning he flipped to the first chapter, "My mother is forcing me to take this course. She thinks it will smarten me up a bit. Plus, I need it if I want to work in Egypt."

"Sure, that's no problem. Just let me know when, and I'll squeeze you in, OK?" Allen nodded. "Anyways, we better get to class, OK?" Standing up, she slipped her books into her sack and poked him in the shoulder. Allen grinned and followed her out the door.

"Want to sit next to me today Allen?" she asked him, "Maybe that will make it easier to pay attention if you're not sitting next to _Ashley_."

Allen smirked, "And what's that's supposed to mean?"

"She can be, well, distracting. I know."

Allen hesitated a moment, "Fine, but won't Scorpius mind?"

"Yeah, probably. But he won't get distracted by Ashley like you would. I can tell he likes someone. He just won't tell anyone who it is," sighing, she opened the door to the Ancient Runes classroom. They were the first to arrive, so she sat in her usual seat and he sat beside her.

Allen seemed to furrow his eyebrows at this, but he didn't say anything.

Scorpius rushed down the stairs. He was going to be late for Ancient Runes if he didn't hurry now. Having been hiding out in his dorm all that last hour, he had lost track of time.

He entered the classroom just as the Professor was about to close the door.

"That's five points from Ravenclaw Scorpius," Professor Babbling said as he made his way to his seat. Several of his classmates groaned, but he stayed quiet.

Scorpius stopped halfway there though, realizing someone was in his chair. There sat Allen McLaggen talking away with Rose as if nothing was wrong. Grunting, he looked for an empty seat, and realized the only seat left was next to Ashley Harper, which he remembered had been Allen's previous seat. Wow, he had given up his seat by Ashley to sit next to _Rose_?

Sliding in next to Ashley, he felt a little angered that Rose hadn't even asked him if it would be OK for Allen to sit in his seat.

"Oh! Hey Scorpius," Ashley purred, giving him a suggestive look. Scorpius only smiled, not wanting to lead her on. She pouted, but turned to her book nonetheless.

"Class, today we will be practising the art of sending coded messages. Your desk partner will help you today. Turn to page two hundred and twenty three to begin," Professor Babbling sat behind her desk then and began scribbling away in a notebook.

After leaving the class, Scorpius groaned. Ashley had been the worst partner he had ever had, how she had weaseled her way into that class he would never know. At least he could guarantee she wouldn't pass the OWL in it.

Sitting at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, Scorpius decided to get a head start on his homework, as dinner was still an hour away.

About forty minutes into his Transfiguration work, Albus sat beside him.

"Hey Al," Scorpius mumbled as he continued to write.

"Malfoy," Albus replied curtly. Scorpius looked up. Albus had never referred to him by his last name unless he was angry about something.

"What's wrong Al? What did I do now?"

"Nothing Malfoy. Stuck on the Transfiguration, eh? Going to ask Rose to help you finish it?"

"Er no – I was planning to finish it now. And if not, after supper. Albus, what are you getting on with? It's usually you who asks Rose for help."

But it was as if Albus hadn't even heard him, as he continued his rant, "That's all she's ever been to you, hasn't she? Homework help? Well get this blondie, she's my _cousin_. No matter how close you get to her, I come _first_." And with that Albus stalked off.

Scorpius sat in complete confusion. He had no idea what Albus was getting on with. Furrowing his brows together, he hadn't even noticed the food had appeared just after Albus had left.

Suddenly a hand waved in front of his face. "Earth to Scorpius?"

Looking up, Scorpius realized Sarah stood over him. "Oh. Hey Sarah," he said, a little glumly.

"What's wrong with you? Stuck on your homework?" she asked.

"No!" he snapped.

Sarah looked at Scorpius, she felt as if she'd been slapped in the face. "What's wrong with you?"

Running a hand over his face, he groaned. "Sorry Sarah. Having a bit of Deja-vous here. Not really sure what happened minutes ago. Albus just…well attacked me!" Scorpius told Sarah word for word what Albus had said to him, and by the end, Sarah looked just as confused as him.

"I don't understand, I mean he was just fine this morning…" she pondered, beginning to pick at a dinner roll.

"Exactly. Now all of a sudden I'm stealing Rose? It just doesn't make sense!"

Sarah looked like she was about to speak, but she stopped. Scorpius was going to ask what was wrong when a voice came from behind him.

"Hey Scorpius," chirped Ashley Harper, as she sat beside him at their table. Scorpius stared at the girl wide eyed. Not only was she sitting next to _him_, but she was sitting at a table that wasn't the _Slytherin_ table. This could only mean trouble.

"Uh, hi Ashley," he replied.

"Listen. There's a Hogsmeade trip at the end of September, want to go with me?" she asked. "I never noticed how smart you actually are. But today you showed me!"

"Er, thanks? And well, I don't know if I'm going with – "

"He'll go," Sarah suddenly answered for him. Scorpius looked at her incredulously.

Ashley, however, only smiled, winked and then left the table.

"What was _that_ about?" Scorpius hissed at Sarah.

"You need a break from Rose. And she needs one from you. If she realizes you're _unattainable_, maybe she'll finally wake up!"

Scorpius stared at Sarah, was she _serious_? "What?"

"You know what. Everyone knows you like her. And she's beginning to realize she may return those feelings," Scorpius turned bright red at the mention of his crush, "And this might be just the ticket!"

"Fine, but only one weekend with Ashley. I don't like her all that much…"

"Fine with me," Sarah grinned.

When Sarah stood up, Scorpius realized he hadn't even eaten a thing yet, and she had finished eating. Not feeling very hungry, he decided he could sneak into the Kitchens during Prefect Duty. "Wait up Sarah!" he called as she was halfway out of the Great Hall.

He also noticed only now that Rose and Albus hadn't shown up for dinner.

Leaving the Great Hall, he allowed Sarah to lead them up to their Tower, as he had nothing better to do. Sarah led him down a different hallway he hadn't been down before, saying her and Rose had found this shortcut last year, and it makes getting to the seventh floor so much quicker.

Turning the corner, she lifted up a tapestry of two pirates sword fighting.

There was the shortcut alright, but they were not alone in it. Seeing what was happening, Scorpius felt his heart break just a little. Mumbling a good bye to Sarah, he tore off in the other direction, not wanting to be near there.

Sarah only looked at Rose with pity and a hint of anger, before she, too, took off in the opposite direction, hoping to find Scorpius.

Rose's limbs were wrapped tightly around the figure of Allen McLaggen as he snogged her senseless. But when Scorpius and Sarah ran off, she untangled herself, muttered and apology to the boy, and sprinted up the stairs of the shortcut, hoping to get to the Tower quickly, as tears already sprang from her eyes.

Rose tugged on her curls that fell in her face as she ran. How could he? She thought Scorpius was different, but there he was, sitting with _her_. _Ashley Harper_, as if she belonged at the Ravenclaw table. Rose wanted to rip her perky little head off.

But when Scorpius found her and Allen intertwined, he looked like he was going to cry. Had she really been mistaken? Had he not moved on with Ashley, leaving Rose behind in a confused mess?

She thought maybe she had pushed Scorpius away, so he was deciding to go out with Ashley to push her away from him and move on. But maybe she was wrong?

Why did she have to be such an idiot? Running into Allen had been a big mistake, even bigger when she decided to make out with him. She had ruined _everything_.

The only person who could help her now was Albus, and she had to find him. Fast.

…

"Scorpius!" Sarah cried out, finally catching up to him by Myrtle's bathroom.

"I thought you said she _liked_ me, Sarah?" Scorpius nearly tore the blonde hair from his head. "You _lied_. She _likes McLaggen_."

"No. Scorpius, I _know_ she likes _you_. I have no idea why in Merlin's name she was snogging Allen, but I can assure you, she probably has some dumb reason behind it. Probably to make _you_ jealous. Or maybe he was begging her to do his homework and she wanted to shut him up? Maybe it was _blackmail_. I have no idea! But I promise you, she _likes you_!"

Scorpius covered his face with his hands. "I won't believe it until I see proof. She is driving me crazy! First Alex, then Jacob. Now _this_? Why couldn't she just ask me out?"

"You know Rose just as well as I do. She's a stubborn mule. She probably thinks that when you're near her and her heart races that she's allergic to your cologne or something equally as dumb."

"But I don't wear cologne…" Scorpius pondered.

"Exactly. Rose is oblivious. She wouldn't know love if it had a light up sign and a jumping jamboree next to it! Let her come around. I bet you right now she is freaking out and trying to find Albus to fix this mess."

"Oh that's just what I need now, her to run to Albus after what he yelled at me today in the Great Hall! Sometimes I wish I was off hiding with my parents from my grandfather instead of here! I mean we've only been back for, what, two days? And already I want to go home! This is ridiculous..." groaning, he leaned against the nearest wall and slid to the floor. "What do I do Sarah?"

"The only thing I can think of is try to make up with Albus. Not really sure how. Maybe just explain how what he said was wrong. And with Rose? Pretend like it never happened. If you're angry with her, she'll take it the wrong way and think you're mad at her for snogging someone, thinking she's a slut or something. If you act upset with her, she'll think she hurt you, and she won't forgive herself. So act like nothing happened."

Scorpius only nodded. What Sarah said made sense.

"Here," Sarah said, holding her hand out to him. "Get your sorry arse off that floor and go hunt down your best friends!"

Scorpius hesitated only a moment before grabbing Sarah's hand firmly and pulling himself up. She was surprisingly strong enough to pull him to his feet. He had forgotten how much Sarah had grown over the last five years. If he wasn't so in love with Rose, he'd definitely have a thing for Sarah. She was roughly five and a half feet tall, no where near his now six foot three inches. Her blonde hair was long and shiny, and pin straight and matched his white blonde hair to perfection. Definitely run your hands through hair. And her piercing blue eyes peered deep into Scorpius' silver ones, making him shiver internally.

"Thanks Sarah," he said, smiling at his friend and giving her a hug. "I needed that."

"Anytime Scorpius, really. I'm here to kick your butt for you any time you need it!" giving Scorpius a goofy grin, she trotted off towards the tower.

Scorpius' Prefect Duties were fast approaching. Albus would be in the Common Room or their dorm by now, so Scorpius raced up there to confront him.

When Scorpius reached the Ravenclaw Tower, however, Albus was no where in sight, nor was he in the dorm rooms. Groaning, he gave up, as he realized his patrol of the Entrance Hall started in fifteen minutes with Alexis from Hufflepuff.

…

Finally Rose had found Albus, hiding away up on the third floor, that no one ever goes to since 1991, when her Uncle Harry defeated Voldemort for the Philosopher's Stone.

"Albus! Albus I've gone and messed everything up with Scorpius! I bet he hates me!" Rose started to cry as she grabbed onto Albus' arms. Albus rarely saw Rose cry, so he knew she was really upset. Through the sniffles, she explained what she had seen and done.

"You dolt, he doesn't hate you. He practically _loves_ you. It's sick really. Just go tell him you didn't mean to, and he'll be all over you again!" Albus growled at his cousin.

Rose looked at her cousin with tears in her eyes. Was he serious? "Why are you being so mean?"

Albus looked at his cousin, and his heart immediately broke. Her hair was a mess, her eyes rimmed with red puffed up skin and tears, and she looked like a disaster. But to him, she was still his beautiful cousin Rosie, whom had been his best friend since they were born only months apart. And here he was, snapping at her for something so stupid that he shouldn't even be mad about.

"Rose," his voice came out in a whisper as he pulled his cousin in his arms, "What happened last night that has broken you so much?"

Through her sniffles, Rose told him what had happened on the tower, and how Scorpius had saved her life, thanks to him telling Scorpius where she was.

"Al, if it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened," she said through a watery smile.

Albus grinned back and gave her a big hug. He missed these days, where there was just Rose and Albus, and nothing else mattered. He was wrong, Scorpius wasn't taking her from him, she was just making room in her life for the both of them, and sometimes one needed more space than the other, it happens. Like his mother always said, 'You have to rock the broom a bit before you get proper balance!'

Sighing into his cousin's auburn locks he smiled. "I'm sorry Rosie, I'm the one that should be apologizing to Scorpius and not you," and this time it was his turn to tell his account of today's events. When he had finished, Rose smacked him playfully on the arm.

"No wonder why Sarah looked so upset with me! I had hurt Scorpius for the second time in one day! We both need to apologize…"

Albus looked at his watch, only to realize they only had ten minutes until curfew. "Well it will have to wait until both of your perfecting schedules are done. Don't you have a shift with Leah tonight?"

"Right!" Rose jumped up and grabbed her bag. "See you later Albus!" and she rushed off, leaving Albus alone in the empty corridor.

Racing to the fourth floor, she hoped Leah wouldn't be angry that she was most likely going to be late. That girl had a temper to rival any Weasley's.

Albus just walked calmly back to Ravenclaw Tower. He wouldn't be punished after the first ten minutes or so after curfew, so he'd be fine.

…

Rose waited impatiently in the Common Room after her shift was up. Scorpius had an hour and a half shift this week, which is why Rose had been pacing for about twenty minutes now.

"Rose just sit down! You're starting to look ridiculous!" Albus snickered at his cousin.

"How can you be so _calm_! We hurt one of our _best friends_! I don't even know how to explain to him what I did! I can't just tell him that I _saw him with Ashley_. He'll _know_ then!" Rose began fidgeting at the thought.

"Know _what_ Rose?" Albus asked, an all knowing smirk on his face.

Rose began to turn crimson at the thought of replying to that question. "_You know_," Rose hissed at him.

"No, I don't believe you've told me. What are you implying?" Albus grinned devilishly.

Rose's face was quite close to blood red in the light of the Common Room, as she choked on her own words and spluttered.

"I thought so," Albus smirked once more, and snickered at his cousin. "Why don't you just tell him and see what happens. If you choke, I'll tell him for you, OK?" Rose was about to shake her head no, but Albus stopped her, "What's the worst that could happen Rose? He admits he likes you back? Big whoop. Everyone knows he does. You're the only one still trying to stay oblivious to that fact." Albus rolled his eyes at his cousin, who was clearly about to protest. "And if he likes you back? Well there's a Hogsmeade trip coming up, remember? Convince him to ditch that Ashley chick, you know he would in a heart beat for you."

Rose's lip quivered. "You're – you're right Albus." Sniffing she sat beside him on the big couch. "You are absolutely right. I need to stop running and just face this," looking at Albus, she noticed an odd look on his face. "Albus, don't give me that look. I just need to come right out and admit it to Scorpius. I. Like. Him. There, that simple."

"Yeah I'd say that was simple enough," came a voice from behind her.

Rose froze.

Turning, she saw the devilishly handsome face of Scorpius standing behind them.

"Heh, oops," Albus just said, giving a guilty look.

"Albus!" Rose cried, turning even redder by the moment if it was possible. Scorpius just stood awkwardly behind them.

"I thought I'd make it easier on the both of you if I said nothing," Albus said.

"So you _like me_ Rose?" Scorpius looked down at the girl in front of him.

"Well, maybe. Just a tad…"

"Oh get _over_ yourself Rose and just admit it!" Sarah suddenly cried, coming down the stairs.

"This is not a Ravenclaw affair! This is between me and Scorpius, so if you don't mind, we're leaving!" Rose suddenly snapped.

Grabbing Scorpius' arm, who followed out of surprise, they left the Common Room. Being Prefects, they could just say they were on duty if anyone asked. Pulling him into the first empty classroom, she sealed the door and turned towards him.

Rose hadn't however, expected him to be standing directly behind her, a hungry look in his eyes, and getting closer by the second.

Freezing, Rose realized there was no where else to go. Stepping back against the door, she prepared for Scorpius' onslaught.

"Rose. I'll have you know, _I like you too_," he said with a grin, "Since I've met you, pretty much. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's more than just a 'like'. I think I've fallen in _love _with you," Scorpius cupped her cheek in his hand, burning her skin with his fiery touch. "How I've kept it in this long, only Merlin knows how. I'm just so glad I can finally tell you."

Rose shivered at the prospect of him being in love with her. "I don't know about love yet for me. But it's definitely pretty damn close," Rose replied, grinning at him. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

"That's fine. I'm just glad we finally got it out. I mean we have pretty much three years of schooling left! That's plenty more time to be with each other before facing the real world. Imagine if we had left it later, til maybe sixth or seventh year?"

Rose decided to do something bold then, for the first time in her life. Reaching up, she placed her hand on the side of Scorpius' face. He was definitely about a foot taller than her now.

Grinning down at her, Scorpius waited to see what she would do. He was surprised when she pulled his face down to hers, letting her lips catch his in a sweet embrace that he hadn't expected her to initiate.

It quickly turned much more heated then expected, as Scorpius pushed Rose back into the wall behind her, entwining one hand in her auburn frizzy locks, and letting the other make its way slowly down the side of her navy blue t-shirt. Rose's hands still rested firmly at each side of Scorpius' face, pulling him as close as she could, without squishing their nose's together. It wasn't the most graceful of kisses, but neither really cared for that fact.

Finally Scorpius pulled away, out of the need for oxygen. But he continued to trail kisses up her jaw line leading to her cheek and neck line. Rose smiled as he placed every kiss on her skin.

Albus smirked as Scorpius didn't sneak back into their dorm until well after one in the morning. Both were going to be tired, but for Scorpius and Rose, it would be well worth it.

* * *

**A/N: **So I know you love me for this chapter :) *squee* they finally admitted it to each other! but don't worry, as I said above there is plenty more of the plot to come, this is really only the beginning aha. I only decided where this story was going to go last night! excellent!

Anyways, I am not a fluff writer, nor a lemon writer. So do not expect Albus to be ignored now and have me off writing about the happiness of love and skipping and kissing and blah blah blah. Actually I hate that stuff. Yes, Rose and Scorpius will have their moments, but in my way :D Anyways, considering I have none of chapter twelve written yet, I better get started! Hopefully I won't be as long with the next update!

Review?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N:

The long awaited chapter 12! I'm really sorry I've been taking so long, but I wanted to make sure I got ahead of myself before posting this. I want to give you all a heads up, I have the rest of this story completely planned out, and I know what's happening ;) haha. But that means I also know how many chapters are left, and from the looks of it, there will be 3 after this. :( sad days. But I am one hundred percent promising a sequel, and there is good reason to. Because I know if I don't, you guys might hunt me down and kill me for how I plan to end this :P ... anyways, I will fill you in a bit more at the end. Right now, on to chapter 12! Oh, and if you see any mistakes in this, or previous chapters, let me know!

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

Rose awoke with a sharp jab to the side. "_Rose Charity Weasley_…" someone hissed in her ear.

Rose flicked her wrist, attempting to smack her assaulter, but her arm barely made it off the bed. "_Go awaaay_," she moaned.

"Rose, get your sodden arse out of this bed right now. Or I'll go Levicorpus on you!" Rose quickly sat up, knowing how much of a threat that was from Sarah. Sarah would not hesitate to cast her best jinx upon Rose, and she knew it.

"I'm up! I'm up!" looking at her clock, she saw it was only just after eight in the morning. Scrunching her face she looked at her attacker, "Why am I up?"

"Because you have a lot of explaining to do girl! Gallivanting off with Scorpius Malfoy until way past curfew! What _happened_?"

Rose turned her signature crimson color, ears burning. "Er…nothing…?" she replied, but it came out as more of a question.

"_Nothing_? Yeah right! You came back here with a goofy grin on your face, and you fell asleep as if you didn't have a care in the world!"

Rose grumbled, "Nothing happened," before grabbing her toiletry things and clothes and rushing into the adjoined bathroom.

No way in hell was Rose going to talk about her little escapade with Scorpius the night before. She wasn't even really sure what had happened herself, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess. The kiss felt amazing, and _right_, and all those other cliché things she was supposed to feel.

Hopping into the shower, she let the hot water practically burn her skin as she rubbed her temples. Rose felt her brain tumble as she thought over everything that had happened in the last year.

Scorpius had quickly jumped from being her best friend, to something more. And that scared her. What would Albus think? What about the rest of her family? What about his family?

Speaking of Scorpius' family, Rose was pretty sure that his grandfather would _not_ approve of this new _relationship_ between herself and Scorpius. If anything, Rose now realized this would make her more of a target. Her father would be strongly against it, so telling him was out of the question. Her mother, however, Rose couldn't figure out whether or not she'd understand.

Getting out of the shower, Rose used her wand to dry herself, as a towel usually made her hair even frizzier.

"You know, hiding in a shower will not let you escape."

Rose squealed as Sarah appeared behind her, smirking at poor Rose in a towel.

"You know, sneaking up on people is _rude_," Rose huffed before climbing behind a curtain and changing into her clothes for the day. As it was finally Saturday, she felt comfortable wearing just jeans and a t-shirt. Leaving the curtain behind, she moved to go back to the room, however Sarah stopped her.

"No, girl. Now that you have a boyfriend, I'm not letting your hair out of here looking like that!" Sarah started to inch towards Rose with her wand.

Rose's face turned from slight pink to crimson. She hadn't told Sarah anything of last night. She wasn't even sure if she and Scorpius were officially 'dating'. All they had done was talked for a little bit, then kiss and then just sat for a while in companionable silence before returning to their dormitories.

Now Rose stared in fear at the wooden stick that would be her doom.

"Rose, don't worry. My mom taught me some things this summer. I _may_ have complained how Albus never notices me, and she _may_ have taught me some things to help me out." Sarah grinned evilly.

"Not in Merlin's name will you be touching my hair…" Rose winced.

"That's what you think!" Sarah squealed while simultaneously tackling Rose into a chair.

…

Rose had to admit, she looked…well…_good_. Or at least, better.

Sarah had somehow managed to contain Rose's frizz and her hair was now sleek and left to hang at her shoulders in ringlets. A simple star clip had pulled half of her hair back and pinned it behind her ear.

"I'm … impressed," Rose said, nodding in approval at Sarah. "Thanks. Sorry I doubted you."

"No worries. Just glad I got away with it," Sarah smiled. She had also styled her hair accordingly, although hers was left straight and pinned back with a butterfly clip instead of a star and on the opposite side of her head. "We match."

Grinning, Rose looped her arm through Sarah's giggling as they re-entered their room. Letting Sarah grab her satchel, they exited. Connie and Felicity's beds were empty, so the girls just assumed they had left already for the day. Pausing by the door, Rose gulped.

"Are you sure I look OK?" Rose asked.

"Yes. You look _positively smashing_," smiling, she pulled Rose by the arm down the stairs.

It was still only early so the Common Room wasn't quite full. Mostly some students trying to get the first week's homework complete or playing wizard's chess.

Rose ached to play a round of wizard's chess. She hadn't played in several weeks, last she played was to pass the time while she waited to return to school. However she knew the only person who would even attempt to play her was her father. Rose had already stepped all over Albus, Scorpius and Sarah when it came to the game, and they refused to play with her any more. Even some other students refused to play her since she brutally tore their pieces apart with her skill.

"Move along Rose," Sarah groaned as she realized what Rose was staring at. "We're not playing you, forget it!"

Rose pouted with her signature sad-eyes, but allowed Sarah to drag her along and out of the common room.

"Time for some air. We're going for a walk. You, me, and the lake!" Sarah dragged Rose by the arm down the stairs.

"Blah! Walking! Who needs it!" Rose complained, attempting to drag Sarah in the opposite direction. "I don't wannaaaaa!"

"Stop being such a baby Rose," came a male voice at the bottom of the stairs.

Looking down, Rose smiled when she saw Scorpius and Albus standing there. Scorpius looked amused, but Albus just looked bored.

"Hi Rose," Scorpius grinned at her.

All Rose could do was smile and blush. Sarah beamed, but Albus just gagged and rolled his eyes.

"Albus, maybe we could give them some _alone time_, if you know what I mean," Sarah said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Rose and Albus looked at Sarah horrified while Scorpius just laughed at Sarah's suggestive tone. This, in turn, caused Rose to glare at Scorpius.

Scorpius' humor quickly dropped off of his face. "Oh come on, she's only joking. And I thought it was funny!"

Rose simply rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and dragged him away, leaving Albus and Sarah behind.

"So…" Albus said in the awkward silence that had ensued. "Want to go to the Room of Requirement? I'm sure we can get it to give us some board games to play."

Sarah looked at Albus. "What's a board game?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Albus mentally smacked himself. Right, no one in her family knew anything Muggle related, and she never took Muggle Studies.

"Somewhat like wizard's chess, except there are many different kinds like Monopoly, where you buy properties and try to get the most money, and Scrabble, where you spell big words to earn points…"

Sarah scrunched up her nose, "It sounds like work, not fun."

"Trust me, it's fun," Albus grinned, leading Sarah up to the seventh floor.

…

"Scorpius…I…"

"I know Rose."

Rose looked at Scorpius in horror. How did he know what she was going to ask him? All morning she had been thinking over their relationship and how dangerous it would be. Imagine if word got through from William to his father? Rose would be an immediate target.

"I'm not going to put you in danger. There is no chance about it; I can't put you through this Rose, that would be selfish of me!" Scorpius tugged his blonde locks in frustration, turning from Rose in the empty classroom they were in.

"You're not being selfish. No one is being selfish," Rose said quietly.

"Don't you see? If we were to start dating now my grandfather would be sure to find out. And if he _doesn't_ come after you? Well I would be surprised."

"I know that Scorpius," she reached for him, touching his shoulder gently. "But I…I don't know if I could be _just friends_ with you after something like this. But if we kept it a _secret_…"

"There are no secrets at Hogwarts Rose," Scorpius replied glumly, placing his hand over hers on his shoulder. "People would notice if we started to sneak off…"

"My family can know, they won't tell anyone! And we don't have to be overly adamant about our relationship just yet. I mean we can save that stuff for after Hogwarts. But just knowing that you're mine, and I'm yours, and no one else's…that's all I would need," Rose smiled sadly. "We won't have to sneak around too much anyways; there are plenty of hiding spaces, and Prefect duties. _Your dorm_," Rose smiled slyly.

Scorpius smirked with a sort of lop-sided grin. "Rose, no matter how tempting that is, I don't know if it's right for your safety."

Rose's sly smile slipped off her face only to be replaced with a stone-cold look. "Scorpius, stop deciding what's right for me right now. The only person that knows what's right for me is _me_."

Scorpius groaned and ran his hand over his face. He knew she was right, but he wished she wasn't. "Rose – "

"No. Now unless for some reason you have suddenly stopped having feelings for me, we are going to try to make this…" she pointed at the both of them with her index finger, "work. Agreed?"

Scorpius stared at Rose for a moment. The girl was crazy, putting herself in danger for someone like him. He wasn't worth it, Scorpius knew that. But this was her decision, and if he didn't agree, he'd probably never get another chance with Rose.

"Agreed," he replied with a small smile.

"Good, now stop being pouty…it's not becoming," Rose teased lightly. "If you're going to be my…" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "_boyfriend_…" returning her voice to normal, she continued, "Then you might have to deal with the family. They're going to try to intimidate you, you know. Give you the 'talk'."

Scorpius knew of the fear the Weasley's and Potter's could instil. He did not want to be on the receiving end of that. Gulping, he put on a brave face for Rose.

"At least Albus is on my side," he said with confidence.

"That's true. And he'll get you in with James, now that James has finally warmed up to you. And James will convince Fred. So you may be lucky if it continues from there," Rose smiled. "This will work, I promise." Rose grasped his hand in hers, feeling the slight roughness that she knew adorned her palms from the dry pages of the books they read, and the broom handles and wands they grasped.

"I hope so Rose; for your sake. But if there is any attempt on your life, I will not have you be in danger any longer than that. And you'll at least let your parents know of this, OK."

Rose nodded.

"That's settled," Scorpius leaned towards Rose then and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He could feel Rose shiver slightly beneath him. "Let's go for a walk, shall we? Let Sarah and Albus have some _alone time_." He laughed at the repeat of Sarah's words, and Rose joined in.

Scorpius pulled Rose by her hand out of the empty classroom, but let go once the door closed behind them. He found it was easy to slip right back into friend mode, as they had been friends for so long, and he was thankful for that.

The two made their way down to the Black Lake, where once in the shadow of the trees on the west side, they resumed holding hands. Rose began to tell Scorpius about how she had formed a good study schedule over the summer for them all, and she hoped to start implementing it soon.

Scorpius rolled his eyes.

It was _so_ Rose.

…

"Albus! I just don't understand! Why am I married with four kids, a terrible job, and no money! What kind of game is this anyway? One to coerce fear into someone? I do not like it!" Sarah, out of annoyance, chucked one of her cards at the boy's head.

"It's called _Life_, Sarah. You pretend to live out a life you do not have, and try to make it the best. It's _fun_," Albus chuckled.

"Well I certainly do not find it _fun_. Same with Monno-po-lop-lee, whatever it's called. And Scribble. _Not fun_," Sarah hissed.

"Only because you lost."

"Because I don't know how to play, let alone understand the game!"

Sarah stood up and groaned. Albus and her had been playing board games for the past two hours, and she was just getting more and more frustrated the longer they played.

"I'm done with this. I'm tired and my brain hurts. I need a nap," Sarah rubbed her eyes.

Albus grinned and snickered as he watched a cozy double bed suddenly materialize in the corner of the room. Sarah seemed to notice, and this only caused her to laugh just slightly, enough to let Albus know she wasn't truly angry, just frustrated.

"Fine, go take a nap, I'll play some Solitaire," he said, while only just managing to stifle a yawn himself.

"Who are you kidding Albus, you're tired too. Look, why don't we both take a nap, then we'll go hunt down the lovebirds," Sarah smiled as the double bed suddenly stretched into a king sized, big enough for the two of them. And the crackling fireplace just feet away wasn't helping their attempts at fighting off their sleep.

"Come on, half an hour and then we'll get up," Sarah smirked in the glow of the fire, as she edged towards the bed.

Albus hesitated for only a moment, but then he followed Sarah to the blue duvet covered mattress that could have easily fit Scorpius and Rose too if they wanted. Albus felt it was a little awkward, as he still hadn't established what his relationship with Sarah was right now. They hung in that limbo between friendship and more than friendship, and it scared him a little. The most experience Albus had ever had with a girl was snogging Bella Tunstall back in the beginning of fourth year. He had been crestfallen when she said she liked him better as a friend, but he was OK with that. His feelings were still rocky over Sarah and how much she had changed had caught his eye.

Pulling back the covers, they slipped under. Close enough to each other that they could feel the heat radiating off of each other's bodies, yet far enough that they weren't touching. Currently they lay on their sides facing each other.

Albus had to intake a sharp breath of oxygen. The sight of Sarah, her hair spread around her face after having been removed from the butterfly clip she had captured it in earlier, took Albus' breath away.

"What?" she asked innocently, although there was a glint in her eye, as if she somehow knew what he was thinking.

"N-nothing," oh great, now he was a blubbering idiot.

"_Sure_," she said, drawling it out.

Albus only stared at her, and this in turn made Sarah feel awkward. She made to pull the blanket back and began to remove herself from the bed.

"Look, if you want to just go and find Scorpius and Rose, we don't have to stay here – "

Albus had cut Sarah off by pulling her down to him and capturing her lips in his. She lay stock still for a moment, but then began to hastily return his kiss with her lips.

Soon they were locked in a heated embrace, but there was a knock at the door to the room.

"_Shit_," Albus hissed. Three fast knocks and then one more. James was here. And he wanted the room. He pulled Sarah from the bed, "That's James, Sarah. He'll _never_ let me hear the end of this."

Sarah nodded her head, understanding. "Let's just go find Scorpius and Rose. If he asks, we were bored," she smiled at Albus.

Nodding they moved to the door, while Sarah willed the room to get rid of the bed. Ensuring it had disappeared, they opened the door.

"Why hello little brother! I had expected Fred in here, but not you! And Sarah! Lovely day isn't it? What were you two doing inside?" James waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Playing board games. We were bored," Sarah supplied, a satisfied grin on her face.

James scrunched up his nose. "You two are _so _boring. Anyways, out little bro. You know the rules; older Weasley/Potter's etcetera get first dibs." James smirked as he shifted the girl at his side into view.

Sarah gasped. "_Felicity_?"

"Hi Sarah," Felicity said, a little taken aback at seeing her old friend there.

"Sarah, can you take Felicity in the room for a moment, I need to chat with my brother," Albus huffed, a glare slowly etching into his facial features. Sarah nodded, and led Felicity into the room, and closed the door. Once Albus had ensured they were out of earshot, he hissed at his brother, "James, this is _Felicity_. She almost killed Rose! Our cousin! Merlin you prat, what will Rose and the rest of the family think?"

"Well Albus, if you should know. We've actually been seeing each other since _before_ the incident, if that means anything. Although I had broken up with her after what she'd done. But she's changed Albus. Have you seen her act mean to Rose once?"

"No. But she hasn't been nice either. Do you even know why Felicity hates Rose?"

James was about to reply, but his mouth just hung open.

"Because Scorpius liked _Rose_. Not Felicity. _Rose_. And she was pissed. She's hated Rose ever since about it. It wasn't just a random attack James. There was a reason behind it!"

James currently resembled a goldfish as he faced his younger brother. "Albus. I-I didn't know." He ran his hands through the messy blackish-red locks atop his head.

"I know James. But is she worth it?" Albus asked, looking at his brother. "Because if she is, I'll leave you be. But James, if she isn't…"

Scratching his head, Albus watched his brother contemplate the decision.

"Rose is more important," he replied simply. "Besides, I don't even like her all that much. I just needed…well you know," James winked at his younger brother. Albus punched his older brother in the shoulder, before retrieving Sarah from Felicity's clutches. Sarah almost looked relieved when he dragged her away.

"It's taken care of," Albus said simply to her. That was all Sarah needed to hear. As they walked away, they could hear sobs following them down the hallway that they found hard to ignore.

"Strangely, I feel bad. When I was in the room, all she was talking about was how for once someone seemed to like her for her, and not her looks. But, knowing James, that's not true, is it?" Albus nodded, "And now to have her heartbroken. Prepare for hell Albus. She'll know it was you."

"I know."

"Let's go find the terrible two, hey? I mean it's dinner time. They should be hungry soon," Sarah smiled.

"Just…just one last thing Sarah," Albus said, before pulling Sarah into the next empty classroom he found.

Sarah looked at Albus as he ran a hand through his dishevelled black hair as he closed the door. Sighing she moved towards the center of the dusty un-used room.

"What Albus?"

He quickly closed the gap she had created between them, and placed his hands on her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he took the plunge.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he simply asked.

Sarah was taken aback. She spluttered out the responding, "Yes of course, you dolt!" before he grabbed her and kissed her once more. Sarah melted into his mouth. Her hopes had finally come true, and she would have to let her mother know that her little tricks worked.

Somehow Sarah had managed to land herself Albus Severus Potter, and she felt on top of the world.

It was Albus who broke away minutes later, complaining that his stomach was growling from only having eaten breakfast before the girls had even come downstairs, and having missed lunch. "Let's go eat!" he exclaimed, pulling Sarah behind him as she giggled at his absurdity.

…

"Took you guys long enough, we've been here for half an hour," Rose stated.

"What were you to up to?" Scorpius asked with a wink.

Sarah blushed crimson, while Albus spluttered out another of his, "N-nothing!"s. Scorpius and Rose just smiled in return.

"Anyways, I was talking to Mandy. Try-outs are moved to next Saturday. Not really sure why. Oh and I got another letter from Victoire. She said she's upset that the wedding had been postponed until next summer, but after all that had happened, she was glad she had waited. And she says hi," Rose smiled.

Albus smiled. His cousin Victoire was definitely one of his favourites. Smart, funny and just down right nice. Teddy had asked him to be one of his groomsmen, along with James. Harry was going to be his Best Man, and his grandmother Andromeda Tonks would give him away, as she was really his only family left. Besides the Malfoy's and Lestrange's. But the only Malfoy or Lestrange that he associated with was Scorpius.

"So it's beater and chaser that are open, right? I'll advertise," he put on a grin and laughed.

True to his word, that night in the common room, Albus made sure every member of Ravenclaw heard about the try-outs. There were some hopefuls, including Rose's brother Hugo. Rose hoped for the best that all the family games were enough, and Hugo had begun to finally hit puberty and was growing nicely. If he tried hard enough, he was sure to get Beater, his favourite position.

"Well boys, I'm off to bed. Good night!" Sarah had already made her way upstairs minutes before, and Rose knew she wanted to tell her everything that had happened today, and expected her to return the favour.

"So…" Scorpius prodded. "How did it go?" he asked.

"Well. She's my girlfriend now, if that's what you mean," Albus grinned.

"Good job Albus. She's an awesome girl, you caught a good one," Scorpius said with a wink.

"How about my cousin? How did that go?" Albus pried.

"The usual. I suggested something, she shot me down. We came to an acceptable compromise."

"And that is?"

"Well, we are officially a couple. Just in secret," Scorpius groaned.

"Oh. Have fun with that one mate," Albus groaned as well.

"Your family can know, and Sarah. And that's it," he said, "I want to keep Rose safe."

"Agreed," Albus said with a nod, "Anyways, I'm tired. Long day. Night Scorpius." Albus stood and headed up the staircase.

Scorpius sat staring into the fire momentarily before following him to bed.

…

"I'm glad he finally asked you! I was getting to my breaking point about that," Rose smiled at her best friend.

"Really though, took him long enough," Sarah smiled back. "And how did your talk go?"

Rose smiled secretively. "He asked me out. Well, after he told me we would never work. But I told him we could easily keep it a secret."

They rounded the corner on the sixth floor heading back to Ravenclaw tower. By the time Rose had made it up to the dorms the previous night, Sarah had ended up falling asleep on her bed. Instead of waking her, Rose covered her with her blanket and let the girl sleep.

There were several students mingling in the corridor. Rose and Sarah instinctively glared at the lingering group of fifth year Slytherins. The five of them only returned the glare, the fiercest coming from William, but his was focused on Rose.

"Scorpius doesn't believe me though. Says if anyone finds out, we'll have to end it," Rose had lowered her voice to a whisper as they continued on. "For my _safety_ apparently."

They passed a bunch of Hufflepuffs, Professor Longbottom's daughter, Alice, smiled at them as they passed. Climbing another batch of stairs they finally reached their tower.

Knocking the brass eagle knocker, the girls waited.

"_Hello ladies. A simple one today. An Archaeologist found a coin dated 42 B.C.E. How did he know the coin was fake?_"

"Aren't you going easy on us there?" Sarah grinned.

"A coin wouldn't be dated 42 B.C.E. In 42 B.C.E. they didn't know they were in the time of 'B.C.E.' or Before Common Era, as they didn't know of a Common Era."

"_Correct dear ones! You may enter!_"

The door swung open allowing them entrance, and the girls headed inside.

…

"Congrats Hugo!" Rose ruffled her younger brother's hair.

The positions had just been announced after the try-outs. Beater had easily gone to Hugo, him being the best out of the seven potential try-outs. Chaser had gone to, surprisingly, Lorcan Scamander.

It looked like he had picked up his game since the last time he had tried out, as that afternoon he had performed exceptionally as a chaser, over the other five try-outs, having managed to beat everyone by two goals on Rose.

"This makes an excellent line-up!" announced Mandy proudly. "Chasers are Jacob Turpin, and Scorpius Malfoy. Newest addition being Lorcan Scamander. You played well today kid!" she ruffled his hair as I had done to my brother previously, "Beaters are yours truly, and our second newest addition, Hugo Weasley! Seeker is Albus Potter, and Keeper is Rose Weasley! Congrats to all! I'm going to bed. Practise begins in two weeks. First match is against Hufflepuff on Saturday, December 11th. Be there!"

Hugo beamed with pride and could tell he was bursting to write to their parents, so Rose released him. Rose smiled at Scorpius, happy that today's events had turned out for the better. Rose knew Hugo would have been crushed if he never made the team.

"He played good Rose, don't worry," Rose smiled at Mandy.

"I told you he was good," Rose replied to her.

"No kidding. And for a second year, that Lorcan kid has style. Beat out some seventh years in speed and everything. He's going to be very agile, and he's small. He'll fit in great with Scorpius and Jacob," Mandy smiled back. "We'll be getting the others teams' rosters soon; hopefully they'll shape up well. James is captain of Gryffindor this year. No offence, but most of his team will probably be your family. I suspect he'll bring back his usual teammates, his sister Lily, and Lucy and Fred. So that's four out of seven. And isn't Louis a second year now?"

"Louis doesn't play Quidditch. We're fine," Rose smiled. Mandy was right though. And if she, Albus and Hugo had been in Gryffindor, they would have finished off the team. Perhaps being a Ravenclaw was a good thing.

"Good," Mandy laughed. "Well good night everyone," and with that she disappeared from the common room.

Hugo returned then, coming through the door breathing heavily.

"Almost…" breathe in, then out, "Never made curfew," he sighed.

Rose smiled at her brother. She was glad he was finally starting to fit in. When Hugo first joined Ravenclaw, his dorm-mates found him weird and annoying. However he'd grown out of his old habits, and he now had made several friends. He and Lily were still inseparable, and it would definitely be interesting to see the Ravenclaws play the Gryffindors. But that wouldn't be until February, so there were definitely going to be some rivalries over Christmas.

"Night Rose," Hugo said before heading up to his dormitory after catching his breath.

Rose moved and sat by Sarah by the fire. Sarah could tell she was thinking hard.

"What's wrong Rose?" she asked.

"Do you think Quidditch is going to put a strain on our family's relationship? With almost everyone involved, I'm worried," Rose frowned.

"Your family has been through thick and thin. I think you can handle anything at this point," Sarah smiled warmly.

"Thanks Sarah," she said, leaning on her friend like a life support. Rose didn't know what she'd do if she didn't have a friend like Sarah.

Sarah stroked her friend's hair. Truthfully she did worry about the strain it would put on the Weasley family relationship. Albus had confided in her once that he and James almost had a falling out when James found out Albus had gotten seeker and would play against him. Thankfully Hugo was a Beater and not a chaser. But Lorcan was a close friend of Lily's as well, and wondered what a game would be like if they faced each other.

"Let's go to bed Rose, it's late," Sarah said, looking down at her friend. Rose could only nod; she had begun to drift off on Sarah's side. Rose let Sarah lead her up the stairs and into their dorm, where she proceeded to change into light pyjamas and crawl into bed.

* * *

**A/N:** Soooo? Like it? Hate it? Comments? REVIEW? Haha. Anyways, yes yes, Sarah and Albus! Finally! Oh I wish I could tell you how everything was going to turn out in the end. But I can't do that ;).

I'd just like to take the time to thank all of my wonderfuller reviewers and followers. If it wasn't for you guys, I may have given up hope for myself. I pushed through this for you guys :)

Also, re-writing on the other story may not happen until summer time now if I'm ever going to finish this story. So this is my primary focus.

However, I saw Avalon High for the first time tonight, and I was severely inspired and may consider a one-shot/story incorporating the Next Gen, or just on it's own. Who knows! No stealies...my idea *growls* :)

Anyways, glad to be back, and expect Chapter 13...eventually? Haha.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Not as long of a wait for this chapter :) There is plenty of action as well! Half the stuff in this chapter was not on my plan, honestly made it up as I went because I didn't want to go through with the other part of my plot idea. However there are still only one or two chapters left of this before I finish :( Sad. But it will be the first story, besides one-shots, that I successfully finished! Speaking of one-shots, have you checked out my newest brain fart of a one-shot I call Moonlight? No? Well it's based around Daphne and Astoria Greengrass in that fateful final year at Hogwarts. Not sure if it's entirely accurate, but I did my best. We are missing a fair bit of information on what exactly happened at the school. There is a bit of Daphne/Draco in there, followed by some Astoria/Draco and Daphne/Blaise. I think you will enjoy the story, I certainly enjoyed writing it!

Anyways, onto the chapter! Hope it's not disappointing!

* * *

Mandy had been working her team into overdrive the weeks leading up until the match. Rose felt like her skin was frozen solid with the cold weather looming over the castle. Currently she and her brother were wrapped up in blankets in the Ravenclaw common room, shivering next to the fire. Albus and Scorpius seemed unperturbed by the cold, and were chatting about the upcoming game and winter holiday with Sarah. Sarah and Scorpius were coming to the Burrow for Christmas, so it would be an exciting holiday.

Draco and Astoria Malfoy were still in hiding, but they had still managed to send his Christmas gifts to the Burrow ahead of time. Grandma complained of the massive pile of presents she'd had to stuff into the boy's room. That was another reason why Rose was excited to go to the Burrow. Over the last few months, the older Weasley's had been adding even more rooms to the teetering house. Now it would be a little less cramped and more spaced out, as she would only have to share a room with Dominique and Sarah.

December 11 was approaching faster than Rose could hope. The first game of the season had been a spiteful one between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Gryffindor only just winning by a hair. With their keeper knocked out early in the game, Slytherin was up 190 to 50, and luckily James managed to catch the snitch before Slytherin could get any more goals in, giving them a win of a margin of just 10 points.

The week before the match, Mandy held back on practise, knowing her team would be better prepared when well rested. Rose used this time wisely to hang out with Albus and Scorpius, as well as get some alone time with Scorpius, all while managing to get all of her homework up until Christmas complete.

Scorpius and Albus begged for her work to copy, but she refused. Rose had worked hard to get so far ahead, but she agreed to help them none-the-less.

The morning of the match, Rose was busy teaching her teammates the proper use of the _Impervius_ to protect their faces from the blustering winds, Scorpius handed out Pepper-Up potions, and it seemed the Hufflepuff team was doing the same; that should prevent any of them from getting sick.

Crossing the grounds, Rose walked next to Scorpius. She worried for Hugo, as it was his first year on the team, and just generally worried herself. Hufflepuff had three seventh year chasers this year, who were all exceptional players. If Rose didn't hold her game, they could lose.

"Rose!" she heard someone call.

Turning, Rose saw Alice Longbottom attempting to catch up with them, her black and yellow knit scarf slapping her several times in the face.

"Hey Alice!" Rose said with a smile, "What's up?"

"Just wanted to wish you luck! Even though I'm in Hufflepuff, I'll be rooting for you guys secretly!" Rose grinned at Alice and waved as she ran back to her friends.

Her spell had been working for the team so far; they seemed to be able to keep their eyes open against the strong winds that whipped their robes around them like lethal weapons. Hufflepuff were not having any luck, as none of them had thought of using the charm on their faces. Ravenclaw was up 90 to 10, Rose having only let in the goal as the hood to her robe had decided at the most inopportune moment to cover her whole head, obstructing her view of the Quaffle.

It had been nearly two hours now and the teams were clearly exhausted, but they had to continue to play until the snitch was caught. Albus had been searching the entire game, tricking the other seeker, seventh year Eliza Sloper, several times into believing he had found it. Hufflepuff's beaters were brutal players though. Scorpius already sported the beginning of a black eye, Jacob's knee was bent at a funny angle, and Lorcan looked like he was going to cry from the amount of bruises he was covered in. Ravenclaw's beaters had gotten a few good shots in. Mandy had managed to break Allen McLaggen's arm, and he was furious, considering it was his throwing arm and he was their best chaser and would most probably be Captain next year as the majority of the team were seventh years.

In an effort to keep warm, Rose darted back and forth in front of the hoops.

Stopping, Rose looked to her left. That couldn't be, could it?

Luckily Albus was looking in her direction and Eliza remained oblivious, because Rose's frantic waving and pointing in the direction of the snitch would have given it away too easily.

Albus sped towards her on his broom, easily getting there before Eliza had even registered what had happened. Ravenclaw's stands began to burst into cheers as they realized what was going on. Albus' outstretched hand was only a meter or so from the snitch. Eliza tried desperately to catch up, but it was too late. His cold fingers closed around the warm, golden metal and the wings stopped beating in defeat. Ravenclaw's stands roared with cheering as the teams landed on the ground.

Ravenclaw had won, 250 to 10. Not bad at all, and it seemed Mandy agreed, as her grin couldn't have been wider.

Sarah was surprisingly the first to reach Albus, planting a huge kiss on his lips. Rose swore she saw some girls swoon or glare jealously, but that only made Rose smirk.

The crowd closed in around them, she felt James ruffle her hair, and Scorpius gave her a much-too-long-to-be-platonic hug, hanging on longer than he should have, but no one seemed to notice.

Professor Duke congratulated them on a job well done, and promised to donate twenty galleons to their first celebration party of the year, in the hopes there would be more to come. Rose took the money as the Professor winked at her and disappeared.

"Rose, should we seriously trust him? I mean a Professor just basically told you to sneak out, and gave you money and permission to do so. I thought you _liked_ rules," Scorpius was scowling.

"Relax Scorp. I think one night of daring fun can be allowed. Come on!" Rose dragged Scorpius by the arm up to the school.

"I thought we were going to Hogsmeade?" he asked, confusion etching his face.

"Albus hasn't shown you the secret passage yet? Good Merlin that boy needs a new brain. There's a passage behind Gunhilda of Gorsemoor." Scorpius gave her a funny look. "The one-eyed witch? On the third floor?" Realization seemed to dawn on him and he smirked. Looking around, he saw no one nearby, so he grabbed Rose's hand with his and began to run. She giggled the whole way, dragging slightly behind so she could stare at his…well…behind.

It was a nice behind.

…

"I can't believe they're still making us do our patrols tonight. It's the last day before Christmas holidays; of course students are going to be out of bed!" Scorpius sighed exasperatedly.

"Relax Scorpius; just think of this as some last minute alone time before having to stay with my family. It's going to be cramped, even with the newest room additions. You're still going to have to share with Albus and Hugo. I'm stuck with Sarah and Dominique. Lily's furious that she's being dumped in a room with Lucy and Roxanne. But now it will be a bit more roomier."

"Your family is big," Scorpius said with a smile.

Rose only laughed, "And could get bigger any time. With Teddy and Victoire getting married this summer…"

Rose was interrupted, however, by a loud bang from further down the hallway, followed by a string of curse words.

Scorpius glanced curiously at his patrol partner. They should investigate, they seemed to silently agree. Probably just a younger student out of bed, or a cousin up to no good - the usual.

Jogging lightly down the hall they managed to round the corner just in time to see several forms skirt around the end of the corridor into the Charms corridor. They increased their speed, hoping to catch the students who were out of bed. They probably wouldn't take points, just give them a warning.

They did not expect what they saw when they rounded the corner.

Eight or nine cloaked figures stood there, wands drawn. Rose gasped in shock, and Scorpius quickly stood in front of her in an attempt to protect her as best as he could.

"RUN!" Scorpius ordered Rose, not giving her any other option; like she would stay anyways.

The two began to run as they heard a low chuckle from behind them. No, this was not happening. Not at Hogwarts! They were supposed to be safe here! Rose's mind jumbled as she dodged hex after curse after jinx. The only place she could think of getting to was the seventh floor: the location of her tower, Gryffindor tower, Duke's office, Corner's office and the Headmistress' tower. Clearly the safest floor in the entire school, surely someone would be woken if they yelled.

Rose dragged a confused and frightened Scorpius up a stairwell to her right that she knew climbed straight to the seventh floor. The cloaked figures followed them, but they seemed to be walking eerily slow, as if they knew Rose and Scorpius would never get away, so what was the need for them to rush?

Panting, she entered the seventh floor corridor two doors down was Professor Duke's office. They would run there first, and Rose prayed to Merlin that he was working late.

Clearly Rose's luck had run out, for a minute of knocking revealed the office to be empty. Rose could hear the cloaked men at the top of the stairs, so she dragged Scorpius to their next option, Professor Corner's office. They had to run nearly to the end of the corridor before they found the oak door that led to his quarters.

No answer.

"Where are all the Professors?" Rose cried out desperately, losing hope.

"Probably tending to the situation we created outside," said an eerie voice from behind them.

Shaking, Rose turned around. There, uncloaked, stood Dolohov, senior. Tears sprung to her eyes.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" she asked bravely.

"A dead gamekeeper is quite a spectacle, isn't it?"

Rose gasped audibly. Hagrid! He couldn't be…no! Rose couldn't believe that Hagrid could be dead. Tears stung her eyes as she felt the pain of death rake through her body. But they wouldn't cross the threshold of her eyelids.

"Even the Headmistress stepped out for a moment. Pity, now you're all alone. And unprotected," he smirked lazily as if this was like taking candy from a baby.

Rose wouldn't cry, she couldn't. One of her favourite people in the world was dead, and she was probably about to join him, if not worse.

"Look, leave Rose out of this Dolohov. You already sent her to St. Mungo's once. This is about me, just get it over with!"

Dolohov wasted no time as he spat _Crucio_ with a jab of his wand. Scorpius fell to the ground screaming with agony as he felt like needles were pricking every part of his body, and his skin was burning off of him.

"SCORPIUS!" Rose cried. Mustering up all of the courage the Sorting Hat had said she had, she sent a stinging jinx at Dolohov, grinning satisfactorily as his face began swelling to an immense size as if he'd had an allergic reaction. The curse on Scorpius stopped as Dolohov was distracted, crying out in pain.

Helping him to his feet, Rose began to run, bearing the weight of the two of them. She had to get to a Professor. Even Filch would be better than no one. Stumbling towards the stairs, she cried out as her foot stumbled over the edge and both she and Scorpius hurtled down a few flights, wincing with each new pain.

They finally seemed to stop near the second floor. Rose could feel that her ankle was clearly broken, and Scorpius' elbow was bent out of shape. Cringing, she stood up and pulled Scorpius up with her. They were only one floor up from the Hospital Wing, surely they could make it.

Bellowing laughter could be heard from above as Rose dragged her and Scorpius down another flight, limping on her bad ankle. The clack of Dolohov's shoes followed them. Tears sprung to Rose's eyes. This wasn't going to end like this. If she let Dolohov win, he would finish them off and surely attack more of her family. Other students even. No, this had to end now.

Rose shoved Scorpius into a nearby alcove, ensuring he was properly hidden behind the suit of armour, despite his protests. She put a silencing charm on him, and then a body bind curse. She then began to run further down the hall, making as much noise as she could. Her ankle was throbbing, but she ignored it. If she died, it wouldn't matter, and if she lived, well Madam Pomfrey could fix anything.

The eight or so Death Eaters were hot on her trail, and she could hear them gaining on her. Thankfully they had not spotted Scorpius; it was just them and her now.

"Come on girl, we just want to play a game!" came his deep voice. Rose shivered, she couldn't let them catch her, but she was running out of options.

Finally reaching the hospital wing, she yanked on the double doors, only to find them locked. Knocking furiously, her patience got the best of her, and she began pacing.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Rose could feel the hot tears in her eyes. Her last options were to get to Filch's office, then to get outside where all the Professors seemed to be.

But it seemed Filch was gone too, and Rose relied on her last option as another spell was sent in her direction. Rose had thought that initially they were after Scorpius, but in the end, Rose guessed Dolohov was here outside of Lucius' orders to finish Rose off. Shuddering, she made it to the Entrance Hall and ran through the open front doors.

Across the field she could see the blaze that burned on Hagrid's hut.

"_Crucio_!" came a cry from behind her. Rose cried out in agony and fell to her knees, her throat burned as she realized she was screaming and nothing was coming out. It appeared one of the other men had silenced her.

She could feel grimy hands grasp her wand and take it from her hand, while other hands groped her sides, beginning to drag her away from the castle in the opposite direction. Now the tears flowed as she struggled against her captors. One stupidly put their hand over her mouth, even though she was silenced.

Rose's mind was running into overdrive and she did the first thing she could think of. She bit the hand over her mouth, simultaneously kicking the man that held her legs.

The men dropped her in surprise and she began to run after picking herself up. She had to get to the Professors before they got to her. She could feel every last bit of oxygen drained from her lungs as she ran, but adrenaline kept her going, the fear of passing out soon continuing to grow inside her.

Bending down fast, she grabbed a rock, and threw it as far as she could ahead of her. Luck seemed to return to her as it bounced against the Whomping Willow with a resounding crack, and the tree responded by using its large branches to hit the ground in anger, making a sufficient amount of noise. The men still tried to follow her, hoping to catch her.

McGonagall heard the disturbance behind her, and seeing a frantic Rose running, er hobbling, in her direction sent alarm through her. It was then she noticed the men chasing her. Fearing for her students, she watched in horror as they turned, heading back for the castle out of fear of the Headmistress.

McGonagall barked an order at Professor Duke to get to Rose before grabbing Professors Longbottom and Vector and chasing after the Death Eaters.

Professor Duke wrapped his arms comfortingly around the frantic fifth year, when he realized she wasn't saying anything, he got suspicious before realizing she was saying something, but there was no sound coming out.

"_Finite_."

Finally the sounds of Rose's sobbing could be heard, catching the other Professors' attentions. Rose then saw Hagrid's body lying on the ground ahead of her, making her sob harder into the Professor's shoulder, grasping at the protection she now had.

It was then she began blubbering about Scorpius and where she had hidden him. Professor Duke sent Madam Pomfrey and Professor Corner to look for him, intending to bring him to the Hospital Wing.

Professor Duke whispered soothing words to her. "It's OK Rose, they got them. McGonagall's got them. They can't hurt you ever again," he noticed her gaze on Hagrid, "He's fine Rose. He's not dead. Just made it out alive, he did. It's OK…shh…"

Bradley Duke had never had to deal with a crying kid before. Sure he'd seen Bill's kids cry before, but that was many years ago. Bradley was still new to Hogwarts teaching staff and hadn't had to deal with any kid other than Victoire, Dominique and Louis, and they had rarely cried.

Rose finally stopped crying a few minutes later, but Professor Duke refused to let her walk on her clearly broken, and further damaged ankle. Instead he gathered the girl up in his arms and carried her to the Hospital wing himself, Professor's Goldstein and Babbling following behind, levitating Hagrid.

…

Rose was in darkness, it cloaked the area that she found herself in. She could hear voices; her mum, her dad, Uncle Harry, Mr. Malfoy, Uncle George, and so many others. Her mother's voice was clearly chastising her for her reckless behaviour, while her father and uncles praised her for her bravery. Finally Mr. Malfoy was screaming at her. Angry she had become involved with his son, forcing him to keep secrets from his family.

With each voice came another reason for Rose to be disappointed in herself. Her mother was upset, her father and Uncles gave her credit for bravery when it was clear she had none. She had only acted as anyone else would have. And she was taking Mr. Malfoy's son from him.

How could she be so selfish?

The recurring nightmares caused Rose to toss and turn in her bed. This worried Scorpius who awoke to her screams at night, and it also worried her parents, whose attempts to soothe the unconscious girl were futile.

…

Rose woke a couple of days later surrounded by the familiar sights of the Hospital Wing. It was becoming _too_ familiar.

Scorpius lay on the bed next to her, and across and further down, taking up two beds, was Hagrid. One she hadn't expected to see was Professor Longbottom in the furthest bed down, surrounded by his wife Hannah, and their four children.

Rose's mother and Aunt Ginny were asleep beside her in squishy armchairs, while her father and Uncle Harry spoke off to the side with McGonagall, glancing constantly at both Hagrid and Uncle Neville.

Ron Weasley immediately stopped talking when he saw his daughter's head swivelling around, taking in her surroundings. Rushing to his daughter's bed, he enveloped her into a tight hug.

"Rosie! Oh thank Merlin you're OK!" Ron Weasley sobbed over his daughter, effectively waking Hermione and Ginny.

Hermione sprung forward, grasping at her daughter's form just as her husband was.

"Why is it that Hogwarts can go for nearly twenty years in peace and quiet but the moment your children arrive chaos returns?" McGonagall scolds the two, but a smile was gracing her lips.

Harry grins at the older woman, "Must be genetics…" he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over then, fussing over Rose, checking the now non-existent bruises and bumps that had covered her body, and fiddling with the ankle that had been broken.

"Your child seems to be fine now, you may take her home for the holidays," Madam Pomfrey grinned. "And Mr. Malfoy is as well, just allow him to wake on his own, and then you may leave when you please."

"How are Neville and Hagrid Poppy?" McGonagall asked.

"I've seen worse, Hagrid will do fine. But his size will require more recovery time. Give him a few days more and he'll be good as new. Neville seems to be recovering, should be awake in an hour or so. _Sectumsempra_ can take the mickey out of someone, if you know what I mean," she said with a small smile, glancing at Uncle Harry who frowned guiltily.

Rose, curious about her Uncle's behaviour, grinned at hearing about her Professors. She had felt like her heart had plummeted into her stomach when they claimed Hagrid's death. The half-giant was a dear friend, and if he had been dead…And Uncle Neville had gotten hurt trying to capture the men who had attacked her. If he had been hurt severely…Rose wouldn't know how to forgive herself.

Scorpius seemed to take that moment to awaken, and he sat up groggily in his bed. Harry approached his bed and filled the boy in on the most recent news. It seemed that that wasn't the first time Scorpius had awoken.

Not all of the men had been captured. McGonagall, Uncle Neville and Professor Vector had managed to body-bind four of the masked men; unfortunately none of them were Dolohov. Dolohov had managed to injure both Uncle Neville and Professor Vector, but the latter had been released the day before.

The men had entered the castle through the one-eyed witch passageway, which had now been closed over to keep the students safe. Scorpius looked at Rose during this moment. It was the same passage they had used just a week and a half before to sneak out of the castle. Could someone have seen them?

Rose wouldn't dare tell her Uncle this information while her parents were in the room. Perhaps during the holiday if she could catch him alone, but not now. Her mother would think her irresponsible while her father would be upset that she hadn't been sharing her 'adventures' with him.

"We have kept this as discrete as possible. But, naturally, the whole school knows by now, I suppose. Your cousins just do not know how to keep a secret Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall grinned at her student.

"Have they already gone home then?" Rose asked, wincing as her voice cracked. Madam Pomfrey handed her a glass of water and a small pink potion that tasted strangely of chewing gum.

"Yes, except Albus. He wouldn't leave your sides; only left an hour ago when we forced him to go get some rest in his dormitory. We'll retrieve him once you've had something to eat.

Two hours later, Rose was resting in the living room of their home, a book in her hand. Scorpius had felt renewed and had joined Albus and Hugo in the gardens for some friendly Quidditch practice. Also known as, Albus and Scorpius were going to gang up on Hugo until he begged and cried for mercy.

That would probably occur in about three minutes.

"ARGH! GET AWAY DON'T TOUCH ME WITH THAT! EWWW!"

Or three seconds.

Rose laughed, getting up from the couch proved to be a bit difficult. Even though her ankle bone was healed, it still hurt from all the excess pressure she had put on it. Standing in her back doorway she smiled as she saw Scorpius pinning Hugo down on the ground while Albus was rubbing muddy snow in Hugo's hair and on his face like tribal war paint. Giggling at their antics, Rose sat on the steps, wrapping her blanket tightly around her, and just watched the scene before her.

She missed when things were simple. _This_ was simple; fooling around at home with her family and friends, not having to worry about a potential Death Eater attack at any moment, one who was hell-bent on killing her.

Rose shivered, not from the cold but from the memories. She knew Dolohov would stop at nothing to kill her. Her father had ensured an auror was guarding their home each time he left to ensure their protection, and her mother had put up several extra charms around their home.

Sighing, she watched as her cousin and boyfriend further tortured her brother, who was not as strong, making his attempts to fight back null and utterly useless. She wished that this would all be over with, that Dolohov would just leave them alone.

But it wasn't _them_ he wasn't leaving alone. No. Just Rose.

But so many people were getting hurt because of her. Scorpius, Hagrid, Uncle Neville, Professor Vector…Rose knew it would only get worse.

Rose's brain began to throb with all of her thinking and she winced in pain. It seemed almost immediately that the three boys were at her side. Rose assured them she was fine, explaining that she was just over-working her brain.

It was then her mother called them in for dinner, so Rose smiled at the boys and led the way inside. The boys stared after her in worry, but followed her once the smell of dinner reached their noses.

…

"I don't care what you say Rose. I swear Sacharissa Tugwood was the inventor of the Pepper-Up Potion."

"No Al, I told you it was Glover Hipworth. Sacharissa Tugwood invented beauty potions. She also discovered the use for Bubotuber pus. You should have known that one!"

"Well there goes my _Outstanding_ in Potions," Albus groaned at his cousin.

"So you got one wrong. Big deal! I bet you answered the rest correctly! I mean you had Scorpius and I tutoring you since Christmas!"

Albus ignored his cousin, letting his forehead fall onto the surface of the table beside his mashed potatoes and gravy.

"Why so glum Potter?" Scorpius asked with a grin, "Spelled your name wrong on the exam again?"

"That was one time Scorpius! You know how tired I was, the History of Magic exam just wasn't worth my effort," Albus protested with his excuse.

"He still docked you a mark. And he's a _ghost_," Scorpius teased his friend, ruffling the black locks on his head. "Besides we all know you got an Outstanding on that one, just like the two of us. We had you listing off every detail of the Great Goblin War by memory before you went in. What's one mark?"

"Behave boys," Rose chastised.

"Yes mum," they replied in unison.

A pregnant moment seemed to pass before the trio burst out with long held in laughter. The relief of OWLs being completed mixed with the fact that they were finally NEWT students and it was now summer time gave them a sense of euphoria.

Just the day before they had had their final meetings with Professor Duke who had instructed them on exactly which classes they should or shouldn't continue with, and advised them on their career choices.

Rose found that her meeting had been quite informative and successful in helping her finalize her visions about her future. She was stuck between being an Auror or an Arithmancer. Both were very important jobs; one required field and desk work, the other involved working almost as a philosopher, only dealing with numbers.

Albus was hell-bent on Quidditch, although Professor Duke was adamant in convincing Albus that he needed to have a back-up plan in case he wasn't drafted. Albus had simply scoffed, but read through the offered pamphlets on curse-breaking, the Ministry of Magic departments and Obliviators, the latter seemed to grasp his interest the most.

Scorpius, on the other hand, had made up his mind. After having chatted with Rose's aunt Angelina over Christmas, he had decided being an Unspeakable was the job for him. He assured Professor Duke that he honestly wanted no other job, but filled out Auror applications as back-up.

All of them would continue on with all of their core subjects at NEWT level, as well as continuing with Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. It would only be Scorpius and Rose who took the NEWT Arithmancy though.

The three did everything together lately, not daring to leave either alone in case something else was to happen. Rose was even sent to the washroom with another female friend so the boys could "keep watch" as they so kindly put it.

There was still a week before the train ride home, the last days being allotted for the Graduation Ceremony of the older students, and for final goodbyes. James, Lucy and Fred would graduate this year. Rose knew the school wouldn't be the same with that troublesome group of cousins, and she was sad to see them go.

James had already been accepted into the Auror program, his father had never been prouder. James' training started in two weeks. Naturally, Fred planned to work with his father in the shop for several years to gain experience, as Uncle George was planning to have him run the branch in Hogsmeade. Lucy had received an internship with the Daily Prophet and would be shadowing several writers over the summer.

"Scorpius?"

"Yeah Rose?"

"After Hogwarts, even if we were to ever break up, or if we were to stay together, can you promise that we'll keep in touch?"

Rose had been having a nostalgic moment, thinking of the fact that in two years they would be putting this place behind them. Hogwarts would be a part of their past, filled with their fondest memories.

"Of course Rose!" he grasped her hand in his, "Don't go getting all upset on me now. We still have two years left to terrorize this school! You, Albus and Dominique will be the oldest Weasley/Potters in the school then! You've got to show everyone who is boss! Not to mention, live up to the legacy those three are leaving behind. You've got big shoes to fill!"

Rose giggled and hugged her friend, pulling Albus into their hug. "Good," she said with finalization.

Wiping a fake tear (or a real tear, who would know?) from her eyes, she hauled the boys from up from the bench in the Great Hall.

"Where are we going?" Albus complained as he tried grabbing one more roll to shove in his mouth, "I ha-vphhent funnushedd eatun yepht!"

Rose just laughed at her cousin's complaints. "We have work to do! I mean I need to research more on being an Arithmancer. Albus, you need to start making decisions on your back-up job. And Scorpius, well you can research more into being an Unspeakable. I bet there are some books in the library…"

"NOO!" both boys called out in protest, attempting to run from the devious girl who had their arms in a death grip. "Rose we don't want to _study_." Albus hissed the last word as if it were vile. "Let's go play some Quidditch!"

"Oh alright, but tomorrow you boys are going to the library, no complaints!"

Scorpius and Albus hung their heads in shame for a moment before simultaneously dragging Rose in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

* * *

**A/N: **So love it? Hate it? Sorry it's a bit shorter than usual, I couldn't continue after that nostalgic ending :) However I insist you check out my one-shot called Moonlight, and keep an eye out for a new chapter that will be up as soon as possible!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Oh Reviewers, you are just so lovely! I just couldn't wait anymore, here is a lovely chapter for you all :) A teensy bit longer than normal too! All for you guys :) Thanks for making me smile.

Onwards!

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

"I don't care what you say Rose. I swear Sacharissa Tugwood was the inventor of the Pepper-Up Potion."

"No Al, I told you it was Glover Hipworth. Sacharissa Tugwood invented beauty potions. She also discovered the use for Bubotuber pus. You should have known that one!"

"Well there goes my _Outstanding_ in Potions," Albus groaned at his cousin.

"So you got one wrong. Big deal! I bet you answered the rest correctly! I mean you had Scorpius and me tutoring you since Christmas!"

Albus ignored his cousin, letting his forehead fall onto the surface of the table beside his mashed potatoes and gravy.

"Why so glum Potter?" Scorpius asked with a grin, "Spelled your name wrong on the exam again?"

"That was one time Scorpius! You know how tired I was, the History of Magic exam just wasn't worth my effort," Albus protested with his excuse.

"He's still docking you a mark. And he's a _ghost_," Scorpius teased his friend, ruffling the black locks on his head. "Besides we all know you got an Outstanding on that one, just like the two of us. We had you listing off every detail of the Great Goblin War by memory before you went in. What's one mark?"

"Behave boys," Rose chastised.

"Yes mum," they replied in unison.

A pregnant moment seemed to pass before the trio burst out with long held in laughter. The relief of OWLs being completed mixed with the fact that they were finally NEWT students and it was now summer time gave them a sense of euphoria.

Just the day before they had had their final meetings with Professor Duke who had instructed them on exactly which classes they should or shouldn't continue with, and advised them on their career choices.

Rose found that her meeting had been quite informative and successful in helping her finalize her visions about her future. She was stuck between being an Auror or an Arithmancer. Both were very important jobs; one required field and desk work, the other involved working almost as a philosopher, only dealing with numbers.

Albus was hell-bent on Quidditch, although Professor Duke was adamant in convincing Albus that he needed to have a back-up plan in case he wasn't drafted. Albus had simply scoffed, but read through the offered pamphlets on curse-breaking, the Ministry of Magic departments and Obliviators, the latter seemed to grasp his interest the most.

Scorpius, on the other hand, had made up his mind. After having chatted with Rose's aunt Angelina over Christmas, he had decided being an Unspeakable was the job for him. He assured Professor Duke that he honestly wanted no other job, but filled out Auror applications as back-up.

All of them would continue on with all of their core subjects at NEWT level, as well as continuing with Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. It would only be Scorpius and Rose who took the NEWT Arithmancy though.

The three did everything together lately, not daring to leave either alone in case something else was to happen. Rose was even sent to the washroom with another female friend so the boys could "keep watch" as they so kindly put it.

There was still a week before the train ride home, the last days being allotted for the Graduation Ceremony of the older students, and for final goodbyes. James, Lucy and Fred would graduate this year. Rose knew the school wouldn't be the same with that troublesome group of cousins, and she was sad to see them go.

James had already been accepted into the Auror program, his father had never been prouder. James' training started in two weeks. Naturally, Fred planned to work with his father in the shop for several years to gain experience, as Uncle George was planning to have him run the branch in Hogsmeade. Lucy had received an internship with the Daily Prophet and would be shadowing several writers over the summer.

"Scorpius?"

"Yeah Rose?"

"After Hogwarts, even if we were to ever break up, or if we were to stay together, can you promise that we'll keep in touch?"

Rose had been having a nostalgic moment, thinking of the fact that in two years they would be putting this place behind them. Hogwarts would be a part of their past, filled with their fondest memories.

"Of course Rose!" he grasped her hand in his, "Don't go getting all upset on me now. We still have two years left to terrorize this school! You, Albus and Dominique will be the oldest Weasley/Potters in the school then! You've got to show everyone who is boss! Not to mention, live up to the legacy those three are leaving behind. You've got big shoes to fill!"

Rose giggled and hugged her friend, pulling Albus into their hug. "Good," she said with finalization.

Wiping a fake tear (or a real tear, who would know?) from her eyes, she hauled the boys from up from the bench in the Great Hall.

"Where are we going?" Albus complained as he tried grabbing one more roll to shove in his mouth, "I ha-vphhent funnushedd eatun yepht!"

Rose just laughed at her cousin's complaints. "We have work to do! I mean I need to research more on being an Arithmancer. Albus, you need to start making decisions on your back-up job. And Scorpius, well you can research more into being an Unspeakable. I bet there are some books in the library…"

"NOO!" both boys called out in protest, attempting to run from the devious girl who had their arms in a death grip. "Rose we don't want to _study_." Albus hissed the last word as if it were vile. "Let's go play some Quidditch!"

"Oh alright, but tomorrow you boys are going to the library, no complaints!"

Scorpius and Albus hung their heads in shame for a moment before simultaneously dragging Rose in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

…

Rose bounced in her chair. This was her usual morning routine for the last week and a half. Almost on cue, a screech of an owl could be heard. Rose bolted for the window, opening it as wide as possible and waited for the owl to arrive. It wasn't a school owl, and this instantly saddened the girl.

"Just the post mum…" she said disinterestedly, a frown on her lips.

"Don't worry Rose. We didn't get our results until mid-July. You might have a few days to go yet," Hermione smiled at her daughter.

"But I think I did positively _dreadful_ on my Charms theory essay. I feel like I missed a few points when I described the exact effects of a cushioning charm. And then there was that question on pin cushions in Transfiguration…and then there was the differences between a Sleeping Potion and the Draught of Living Death. I just _know_ I messed that one up, I can_ feel it_."

"Rose dear, calm down, or I'll have to administer a Calming Draught…" Hermione continued to smile at her frazzled daughter, remembering her exact reaction almost thirty years ago now. Hermione sighed, that had been one of her worst years at Hogwarts that she could remember. Ron having been involved with Lavender; Harry involving himself with Ginny. She had been left alone a lot that year, having only her letters to Viktor Krum to satiate her loneliness. "I hope Albus gets Quidditch Captain. I'd feel dreadful if he didn't. The only rival he has is Scorpius."

"Oh, he'll get it," Rose said with a grin, "I was talking with Uncle Harry, and he got Professor Longbottom to let it slip one day." Rose grinned devilishly at her mother, "Uncle Harry is having a hard time keeping it a secret from everyone. Only reason I know is because they didn't know I was hiding from Albus and Scorpius in the closet of the drawing room."

"You are so much like your father," Hermione said with a smile, before muttering something about Polyjuice Potion and floating cupcakes with a small shake of her head. Confused, Rose let her mother fawn over her memories before running upstairs.

Even though it was only July, she already had Scorpius' birthday present bought. To anyone it would look simply like a regular memory box. But to the beholder it was something more. When Rose had purchased it, it only needed one spell to open, but she didn't find that secure enough.

So with the simple addition of an undetectable expansion charm, a few organizational spells, a tampering hex, and several other protective spells, the box was ready. Now only she (as she knew the spells) and Scorpius could open the box, and he could put anything he wanted kept secret inside. This would come in handy if he did ever become an unspeakable.

Rose would get Albus' gift over Christmas or Easter break.

Every morning following Rose would be waiting in the same fashion, and Hermione would chastise her daughter for her lack of patience.

Finally Rose's waiting paid off. The following Monday morning a school screech owl was hurtling towards their window along with their regular owl.

"IT'S HERE!" Rose screeched. She had her arms out the window, ready to rip the scrap of paper off of the owl's leg.

When the letter was finally in her possession, she hesitated.

"Well, open it already!" Hermione snapped at her daughter, although a smile was on her face.

Rose grinned in anticipation and ripped the wax Hogwarts seal open and pulled the letter out.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_PASS GRADES:  
__OUTSTANDING (O)  
__EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS (E)  
__ACCEPTABLE (A)_

_FAIL GRADES:  
__POOR (P)  
__DREADFUL (D)  
__TROLL (T)_

_ROSE CHARITY WEASLEY HAS ACHIEVED:_

_ANCIENT RUNES: O  
__ARITHMANCY: O  
__ASTRONOMY: O  
__CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES: O  
__CHARMS: O  
__DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS: O  
__HERBOLOGY: O  
__HISTORY OF MAGIC: O  
__POTIONS: O  
__TRANSFIGURATION: O_

Rose's smile grew larger with every grade she read.

"How'd you do Rosie?" her father asked as he slid into the kitchen beside his wife. Rose simply handed her father her transcript, unable to wipe the smile from her face. "Well Hermione, looks like someone's finally beaten your record. Ten OWLs, all Outstandings!"

Hermione gasped in shock and disbelief, reaching for her daughter's transcripts, "Let me see!" she cried.

"How were your results mum?" Rose asked her mother out of curiosity.

"Well I personally got seven, and I was proud of that. Your mother got ten as well – "

"Yeah, but only Exceeds Expectations on Defence Against the Dark Arts. I knew I had done just dreadful in that practical…"

Rose smiled at her mother, "Now I just have to beat your NEWTs."

Hermione frowned at her daughter, but there was pride in her eyes. "You'd think they would save on owls and just send your Hogwarts letters along with the results." The woman shook her head, "Poor birds have to make the trip twice."

Rose simply rolled her eyes at her mother. Leave it to the woman who was once head of the Magical Creature Welfare division in the Ministry.

The owl was currently perched on the back of what had previously been her mother's chair at the kitchen table, a scrap of toast in its beak.

"Well I better owl Albus and Scorpius, see how they did!" Rose rushed to her room and proceeded to furiously scribble two notes, one to her best friend, the other to her boyfriend. In both she refused to reveal her marks, not wanting to brag straight away to avoid seeming stuck up about her grades.

It didn't take long for a response from either, but rather than them telling her their grades, they agreed to meet at the Potter residence that afternoon to compare them and then play some Quidditch.

After lunch, Rose practically threw herself into her fireplace without any hesitation and Flooed to the Potter's home.

"Rose dear!" her Aunt Ginny cried in surprise as Rose stumbled into their living room, she calmed almost immediately though and then pointed upstairs, "They're up in Albus' room."

"Thanks Aunt Ginny!" she cried, before running up the stairs, pushing past a confused James, who smiled at the sight of his cousin in such a fluster, she had to wiggle her way past Lily on the stairs who was crying out dramatically about no one ever caring about her, and how her life was _so over_. Rose knew what Lily was doing. James was off to his first day of real training today, so his father was giving him a lot of attention. James had been subjected to test after test, checking every one of his strengths and weaknesses and now he would begin his tactical training.

Albus, on the other hand, had received his OWL grades, so his mother was paying particular attention to the boy, and was clearly making his favorite meal for dinner considering the delicious scent of roast chicken in the air.

Lily felt like she was being ignored, which she absolutely abhorred. Lily loved attention, and when she wasn't getting it, she had to find other ways to get it; even if that meant wailing like a first year and getting in everyone's way.

Rose knocked on Albus' door before bursting in. "Hi boys!" she said with a grin on her face. "Swap?"

Albus and Scorpius didn't need her to explain, they understood. Rose grasped Albus' grades in her hand, and read them over with a smile.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_PASS GRADES:  
__OUTSTANDING (O)  
__EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS (E)  
__ACCEPTABLE (A)_

_FAIL GRADES:  
__POOR (P)  
__DREADFUL (D)  
__TROLL (T)_

_ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:_

_ANCIENT RUNES: O  
__ASTRONOMY: E  
__CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES: O  
__CHARMS: O  
__DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS: O  
__HERBOLOGY: O  
__HISTORY OF MAGIC: E  
__POTIONS: E  
__TRANSFIGURATION: O_

"Not bad Al!" Rose clapped him on the back. "Nine OWLs, and six were Outstandings!"

"Just wait til you see Scorpius'," he grumbled before taking his back, and reaching for Rose's from Scorpius, and then proceeding to hand Scorpius' over.

_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_

_PASS GRADES:  
__OUTSTANDING (O)  
__EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS (E)  
__ACCEPTABLE (A)_

_FAIL GRADES:  
__POOR (P)  
__DREADFUL (D)  
__TROLL (T)_

_SCORPIUS HYPERION MALFOY HAS ACHIEVED:_

_ANCIENT RUNES: O  
__ARITHMANCY: O  
__ASTRONOMY: E  
__CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES: O  
__CHARMS: O  
__DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS: O  
__HERBOLOGY: O  
__HISTORY OF MAGIC: O  
__POTIONS: O  
__TRANSFIGURATION: O_

Rose beamed. She had beat him, by one Outstanding.

"Yeah yeah, rub it in now Rosie," Scorpius grumbled, but he was smiling nonetheless.

Rose just smiled wider, "Hey, I only beat you by one. Not like there's anything to rub in. Besides, my mum 'the smartest witch her age' only had nine of her ten owls as Outstandings. She only got Exceeds Expectations in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Seriously?" Albus asked, "Auntie Hermione didn't get an Outstanding in DADA? My dad did!"

"Really?" Rose asked, curious now.

"Yeah! Even got bonus marks because he could produce a corporeal patronus. He's been teaching me, you know!"

Rose looked at him incredulously, but then it turned to a look that was a mixture of sadness and jealousy. "Why hasn't he been teaching me? My examiner asked me to try, and all I got were wisps of silver smoke. I made a complete fool of myself, I'm amazed I even passed!"

Albus looked at her, guilt clear on his face, "I'm sorry Rose, I never thought – "

But Rose interrupted him. "No, don't worry about it Albus. Look, I better go. I'm only halfway through the last bit of homework. Bye. Bye Scorpius," she gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving Albus' room.

"Shit." Albus was tugging on his hair with his hands, "I messed up that time, didn't I?"

Scorpius only nodded, wondering if he should follow Rose. But he knew her too well, and realized she'd be better off blowing off some steam. She'll probably ask her mother to teach her how to do a patronus now.

"So, can you do it?"

"Do what?" Albus looked at him in confusion, having already forgotten the topic.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "A corporeal patronus?"

Albus grinned and nodded. "It took a long time. Nearly all of Christmas and Easter break of last year. But I finally got it just before exams. That's how I got my Outstanding," Albus winked at his friend, who smacked him subsequently on the back of the head.

"Well," Scorpius prompted.

"Well what?" Albus' confusion was back.

"Show me you dolt!" he said with another smack.

"I can't! It's summer holidays; I'm not doing magic outside school!" Albus looked at his friend in shock.

"Albus, your parents are in the home. The trace only detects magic near an underage witch or wizard. They're not going to suspect anything from the son of Harry Potter," Scorpius said, his teeth gritting on the last sentence.

Albus looked at his friend in concern, "Oh, alright!" Albus stood up and grabbed his wand off of his nightstand. He stood still for a moment before swishing his wand in a jerky motion and saying, clearly, the incantation _Expecto Patronum_.

A silvery mist began to swirl from the tip of his wand before forming the solid form of a snake, long and slithering; it reared its head back, hissing at Scorpius as if he were a threat. The cobra was large and made Scorpius jump back a little.

"Awesome!" the blonde congratulated his friend, "So…what's your memory?"

Albus knitted his brows together.

"You dolt, your happiest memory! For the spell?"

Albus nodded, and then he smiled. "After the battle last summer. When I held Rose in my arms and dad was telling me she wasn't dead. That she was alive. I don't think I could have been happier than that moment. If she had been dead…" Albus left his sentence hanging, both not knowing what would have happened if Rose had not survived that curse.

Scorpius sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating what type of memory he could use for his own Patronus. There were many happy memories, sure. But the spell called for something great, something no other memory could compete with. He thought back to making the Quidditch team, but his heart told him it wasn't strong enough. Then there was when his father announced they would be travelling to Romania for the holiday, but that only made him think about his grandfather. Scorpius shuddered involuntarily. So many times Rose and Albus could have been killed, and it was all his fault. Romania, Diagon Alley, even in the school. They were in danger because of him, and he felt powerless because of it.

"Having trouble mate? You look like you're constipated," Albus squinted at him, only to let out a bark of laughter as he couldn't keep a straight face.

"I just cannot come up with a happy enough memory," Scorpius sighed. "Not even making the Quidditch team made me happy enough."

"You'll think of one, don't worry. S'not like we're going to run into a dementor this afternoon now, is it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed again. "Are your brother and sister around? Maybe we could play some Quidditch."

"Lily is, but James is at Training. LILY!" Albus yelled out his door. "WANT TO PLAY SOME QUIDDITCH?"

"ONLY IF I'M A CHASER!" she yelled back, her despair from earlier seemingly gone.

Scorpius grinned, playing against Lily can be fun sometimes, and it would give him practice, letting him see how she played. Albus would probably do a joint effort of Seeker and Keeper, in absence of Rose. No beaters were needed it would seem.

"SURE!" Albus grabbed a sweater, as the air was chilly today.

…

"I just don't understand! Uncle Harry taught Albus how to do a Patronus, and no one told me, let alone offered to teach me!" Rose pouted at the table as her mother fixed herself a cup of tea. "Does he think I can't do it? Or that Albus is better than me?"

"Rose, think about it. Albus is his son, but Harry never got to know his father. Harry is probably just trying to be the best dad he can. Harry knows you're smart, he probably just assumed you know how to do it already, and he wanted Albus to not fall behind."

"I'm smart, but I'm not a genius…he could have just asked me," Rose looked down at the table.

"Don't blame this on anyone, especially not your uncle."

"But everyone's learned it from Uncle Harry, even you and dad! He's even begun teaching Lily already, and James already knows how! I bet he'll even teach it to Hugo," Rose's eyes filled slightly with tears. She wanted to learn from the best, not from some teacher at school.

"Do you want me to talk with him?" Hermione sighed; Rose nodded furiously. "Alright then, I'll Floo him tonight."

Rose beamed, "Thanks mom!" Picking up the rest of her sandwich, she raced up the stairs, hoping to finish off the last of her homework for the summer. She had fallen a little behind in the anticipation of her OWL results, but now that they had arrived, she felt she could resume her natural order of things. Especially homework.

…

"ROSIE! ROOOOOOSE!" there was something heavy bouncing on the end of her bed, screaming her name like a banshee. Cracking her eyes open, she groaned at the sight of Albus holding something glittery in his hands.

"Quidditch Captain? Congrats!" she drawled in her sleep voice. "Told you so."

"He picked me! Duke picked ME! I can't believe it!"

"I can," Rose yawned, speaking sarcastically.

"Oh _shut up_ Rosie, now I've got something you don't," Albus stuck his tongue out childishly.

Rose winced. Uncle Harry still hadn't mentioned anything about teaching her the Patronus charm. In fact, she hadn't even seen Uncle Harry since his, Uncle Neville's and cousins Lucy's and Frank's joint birthday celebration two weeks ago, and he'd barely spoken to her then. Rose was convinced he was avoiding her, probably assuming she needed to cool down after getting upset.

"Sorry Rose," Albus immediately apologized, "You know what I meant though."

Rose simply nodded. "Let me get up now, you're on my feet."

Albus stood up quickly allowing her to pull herself out of bed.

"Scorpius is downstairs you know. We were going to go into the town and shop for some muggle clothes. Ours are out of style now," Albus smirked.

"Merlin Al! You should have told me that to start with. Out! I need to change!" Rose was running around her room then, grabbing some jeans from her drawer, and ripping a shirt from the hanger in the closet without even looking at it.

Albus chuckled, but let the raging girl change in her room, meeting up with Scorpius downstairs. The blonde and Hugo were in a heated debate over who would win the up and coming Quidditch World Cup that they all planned to attend in two weeks.

"Hugo, how many times do I have to tell you, the Cannons are going to _lose_. And badly," Scorpius smirked.

"If they could make it to the cup for the first time in over one hundred and thirty years, and lose, I'd still be impressed," Albus laughed.

"The Cannons will win, just you wait and see. They beat the Wasps by more than one hundred points! Not to mention slaughtered Puddlemere by over two hundred points! I'm telling you, their new chasers are like lightning, and they've got the fastest brooms!" Hugo was panting now, he'd barely taken a breath his entire argument.

"Yeah, but the Tornadoes have beaten _every_ team they've played this year. The Cannons already lost to the Harpies – an all-_girls_ team – and to the Arrows!"

"Give him a break Scorp, his hopes are up, don't crush them!" Rose chided, coming down over the stairs.

"Ten galleons says they win," Hugo bet, ignoring his sister entirely.

"You're on," Scorpius and Hugo spit on their hands and shook, as if it were an Unbreakable Vow that they were performing.

"Gross!" Rose wrinkled her nose. "Wash your hands!"

Hugo and Scorpius exchanged looks as Rose turned into the kitchen, creeping up behind her and placing their hands on either side of their face.

"EURGH! _GROSS!_ EW EW EW EW EW!" Rose grabbed a cloth and began scrubbing at her face while the boys continued to profusely laugh at her expense. Moments later found them covered head-to-toe in purple slime, as Rose had _accidently_ knocked over some Mrs. Scower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover. Now it was Rose's turn to laugh as she turned into the small bathroom in the hallway to wash her face properly with soap.

When she had come back out, the boys were cleaned off, Scorpius having illegally used his wand to siphon off the mess.

"_Albus_!" Rose hissed at him.

"Rose, I told him to! He won't get caught, and I doubt they'll expel him, he's in my home they won't know the difference. Besides, he'll be seventeen in less than a month, nothing they can do then," Albus grinned.

Rose just grumbled under her breath before grabbing her jacket from the hall closet. "Hugo, tell mum we're gone into town, OK?" Hugo nodded, running out to the living room, probably to turn on the television.

The walk to town only took several minutes, as Rose's home was only just on the outskirts. Rose had her arms linked through her best friends' as they walked, keeping them close to her. It may be a muggle town, but there were several known wizarding families in the area that her mother had warned her about.

They entered the first shop they came to, not really caring to look at the name, just knowing it sold clothing was enough for them.

Several purchases later found the trio sipping drinks at the nearby bistro.

"I should be heading home soon, father will be worried," Scorpius grumbled.

"Alright, you can Floo from my place then," Rose smiled paying for the food she had eaten with her leftover muggle money, and exiting the restaurant, the boys in tow.

Albus left first to give Rose and Scorpius a minute alone, Flooing to his home and dumping his bag in his room. He had only purchased one pair of jeans, as he could always have his mother duplicate them, and just a few shirts, and one sweater for the winter.

Scorpius said a quick good bye to Rose, pecking her on the lips quickly, in case her parents were to enter the room, and then he Flooed to his home.

The moment Scorpius entered the safe-house that his family currently resided in, he knew something was different. It was quiet and eerie, almost cold and unwelcoming. Drawing his wand, he crept down the hall, careful to avoid the creakier floorboards. When he arrived at his father's office, Scorpius could hear faint voices inside.

"Draco, he will join us, there is nothing you can do to prevent that. Mark my words, if he doesn't join us once he's graduated, I'll begin taking away everything that is precious to you. Starting with your wife."

Scorpius heard his mother sob, and Draco shushing her gently. "You will do _no such thing_," Draco hissed at the man.

"What will you do to stop me? Move to another safe-house? I already located this one, I'll find you again. You know I will."

Astoria Malfoy sobbed harder then, and Scorpius wanted to do nothing more than comfort his mother.

"I will come for him the day of his graduation, good night son," Scorpius knew the man was exiting the office so he quickly scurried into the linen closet beside the office, praying to Merlin that he hadn't been seen.

Peering through the crack between the two French doors, Scorpius saw his grandfather glide from the office and heard his heels click down the hall before the tell-tale sign of the Floo sounded his exit.

Had Lucius been talking about _him_, Scorpius? What use was he to their side of the fight? Why even bother, they knew he would never fight for them. Scorpius would rather die than fight against everyone Rose loved, and Rose herself.

Exiting the closet, he approached his father's office.

"Father?" he questioned, ensuring the fact that he had heard everything was eminent in his voice.

"Oh Scorpius, I tried. I don't know what to do now. Potter better catch him, and fast. Could you untie us?"

Draco and Astoria were bound onto the leather couch of the office, their wands on the desk on the opposite side of the room.

After releasing them from their bonds, he approached his mother, enveloping her in a hug. "Shh mum, it'll be OK. I won't fight for them, I'd rather _die_."

This only made Astoria sob harder. "I c-can't e-even pr-protect my own ch-child! What k-kind of a h-horrible mother am I?"

"You're not a horrible mother; there was nothing you could do." Draco rubbed his wife's back, "Shh darling. Potter will get him before then, don't worry."

Draco looked at his son, worry laced in his gaze. If he knew his father well enough, then Potter was no match. Sure he had defeated the Dark Lord, but only by luck and some stupid prophecy. It wasn't because he was _better_.

Draco kept this speculation to himself.

…

"That would be ten galleons please."

"No fair! They didn't even catch the snitch! How did they even manage to win?"

"More like how did they not manage to slaughter your team. They only caught the snitch to lessen the embarrassment!"

Albus laughed as Scorpius grumbled and handed Hugo ten galleons. For the first time in over one hundred and thirty years, the Chudley Canons had won the Quidditch World Cup, without even having to catch the snitch. They had beat the Tornadoes by a whopping two hundred and seventy points with a final score of four hundred and sixty to one hundred and ninety. Scorpius couldn't believe it when the Tornadoes seeker just gave up on the game and caught the snitch to put them out of their misery.

"I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Scorpius groaned into his hands.

"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, TORNADOES DROOL! CANONS ARE THE WINNERS, TORNADOES ARE FOOLS!" Ron Weasley's voice could be heard above all. "See Hermione! I knew one day it would pay off! The _Canons_ WON!"

Rose shook her head at her father's antics. But she was proud of her father's team. Personally she preferred the Harpies, like her Aunt Ginny, but somehow the Canons had managed to knock them out of the play-offs.

Sighing in content, Rose followed her family back to their tent. Scorpius was conversing with Albus now in low whispers, making Rose narrow her eyes. Surely they would tell her after what they were talking about.

However when Rose questioned them later about it in the tent, they simply shook it off, saying they were just discussing the match. Rose frowned, but let it slide for now.

Tomorrow they would return to their homes and in a week's time they would be returning to Hogwarts anyways. Rose would confront them again once they were away from their parents. But for now, she planned to enjoy the celebrations, grabbing a Butterbeer from their supply and dancing around like a fool with her father.

* * *

**A/N:** Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I know it was more of a filler, but it was crucial :)

I'm also a little overjoyed because my friend is sending me an autograph from James and Olliver Phelps as well as Stanislav Ianevski. She would have got me Tom Felton's but the line was way too long and she had to be somewhere, but she got me some pictures *squee* ... I wish I lived in a place that they would potentially visit. But no, sadly my province probably doesn't even exist in their eyes *ho hum*.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Hi everyone :) I like updating, especially since my reviewers are all so nice, I feel like I'm giving them a present and they give me a bunch back, it's like a really greedy Christmas for me!

Haha, anyways, it's been a little while since I updated, and I apologize, but this one isn't super action-y. In fact, it's mostly a filler. I know I said a few chapters back that I planned to end it soon, but I realized if I had followed that plan it would have been too choppy, and I would be unhappy. So this may last to 20-ish chapters :D lucky you guys!

The biggest focus in this chapter is at the end, and you'll see why, but it was important to develop it that way. Sorry its just kind of a filler, but there's still plenty of good stuff in here :D

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

"So, are you going to tell me or what?"

"Jeez Rose, give the poor boy a chance to sit down, would you?" Albus groaned at his cousin.

"It's nothing Rose. It's just, that night, after we went shopping? When I returned home, I – " Scorpius faltered. Rose gripped onto his hand comfortingly, and he mustered up the courage to continue. Albus told him to leave out what exactly his grandfather had said, Rose didn't need to know. "My grandfather, Lucius. He was in the safe-house. He-he had my parents bound and I could hear him telling them something in my father's office. Not really sure what he had said, all I know was that my mother was sobbing and in a fit. I managed to avoid him seeing me because I hid in the linen closet when he exited the office. Mr. Potter moved us, but we have to be extra careful. They're no longer allowed to leave, and I'm the only person permitted to enter or exit by any means besides Mr. Potter himself."

"Oh Scorpius!" Rose had tears of fear in her eyes. "What if you had been there? He could have killed you!" She squeezed his hand tighter with worry.

"I know Rose," Scorpius nodded, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. He felt that every second he was near them he was putting them in danger. Both Albus and Rose could be harmed if they remained friends with him. "Rose, we have to get to the Prefect's meeting."

"Right! I completely forgot!" Rose wiped her eyes hastily, grabbing her small notebook and a quill to take notes. "Will you be alright Albus? I can send Sarah down if I run into her?"

"I'll be fine, and that would be great," Albus smiled, happy to get some alone time from the couple who were his best friends.

Rose nodded before leading Scorpius down the hall.

"Rose," Scorpius said once they were outside the compartment.

"Don't even think about it Scorpius. I know what you're going to say, and I disagree," Rose vehemently interrupted him, not even letting him ask the question. She had known for weeks he was beginning to think back to his original thoughts on their relationship. "Breaking up will not make me safer. In fact, it would only make me weaker and a better target. They'll use you to get to me somehow as a trick, knowing that even if we're broken up, I would still have feelings for you. At least together we're safer." Rose bit her bottom lip, chewing on it thoughtfully like she did when something deeply frustrated her.

"But Rose – "

"No 'but's Scorpius. Unless the reason you are breaking up with me is that you don't have any feelings for me, you no longer feel anything for me anymore, or you have stronger feelings for another girl, then I do not permit even the idea of breaking up with me," Rose turned to give him a pointed, fixed glare to insinuate just how angry she actually was. "And don't think for a second about lying about any of those. I can easily get my hands on some Veritaserum. Professor Goldstein considers me his prize pupil, considering I was able to successfully brew an Elixir of Euphoria during the Potions OWL practical, when it wasn't even required because I had some spare time after finishing my Strengthening Solution."

"You wouldn't dare Rose. I know better, the Ministry's got strict rules on that," Scorpius smirked knowing he'd caught her in a bind.

"Yeah, but you don't go to Azkaban for breaking them for a good reason. Besides, would you tell on me?" Rose smirked at him and his face dropped. She got him good.

"Cheater, you little witch," Scorpius growled in protest.

Rose just smiled happily, but stopped momentarily to tell Sarah where Albus was, and then proceeded to drag Scorpius to the Prefect's compartment at the head of the train.

Entering the prefect's area, they were surprised to see they were some of the first few there, having only been beat by Head Boy and Girl, and about three other prefects. Hufflepuff seventh year Darren Hirsch and Slytherin seventh year Julie Chayton were this year's Head Boy and Girl it seemed, and Rose stifled a giggle. They were the most mismatched pair of Heads she had ever seen, quiet and book-ish Darren with loud-mouthed, backstabbing Julie. This would be an interesting year, considering last year's development of the Head's sharing a common area together.

Scorpius seemed to notice this, and chuckled alongside Rose, knowing just why she had to refrain her giggle.

"Something funny Malfoy?" Chayton hissed in our direction.

"Actually – "

"No, nothing's funny Julie," Rose interrupted his retort, so as not to get them in trouble with the begrudging female. Grabbing him by his arm, Rose dragged him over to sit with the three other prefects, two of which Rose knew were fifth years, while the other was the male Slytherin seventh year prefect. Eddie Baddock was on the Slytherin Quidditch team as well, so Rose and Scorpius found it easy enough to chat with the boy until all the other prefects had arrived.

Suddenly Rose got jittery. Considering she had missed her first ever Prefect meeting on the train, this really was her first official "first meeting of the year" on the train. She began pestering Scorpius, asking what to expect of the meeting.

"What happens? Do they discuss the schedules first? Or the rules?"

"Rose – "

"How were the passwords given out? I wonder if there is going to be anything new this year…"

"Rose! – "

"Oh look! Alice made Prefect; oh her father must be proud! Frank didn't get Prefect, only Captain. Isn't Tommy coming this year? I wonder where he is…"

"Rose!" Scorpius shook her by the shoulders. Rose stared blankly at Scorpius. Several heads turned in their direction, a few with raised eyebrows. Julie only rolled her eyes, and Alice just giggled at the pair. "The meeting's about to start," he grumbled at her. Rose shut up then, turning expectantly to the Heads.

Darren laughed at the girl's antics. He had seen her around school, and knew that she tended to act that way around her friends when she was excited.

Julie cleared her throat. "Hello everyone, to the sixth and seventh years, welcome back to another glorious year of Prefecting. To the newest fifth year Prefects, welcome! We would like to begin this year with a suggestion from McGonagall. Her attempts at inter-house unity is continuing, and she believes that even if you all know each other, we should attempt a little get to know you stint."

"Actually, I thought it was a pretty cool idea. Just something simple, as a try to get to know your neighbour a little better kind of thing," Darren smiled warmly at the room.

Julie glared at her partner, probably for undermining her. "_Anyways_, she wants us to go around the room, stating your name, year, house, and favourite er-"

"Favourite animal," Darren smiled.

"Right, er, favourite animal. OK, I will start. My name is Julie Chayton. I am in seventh year and I am a Slytherin. I am this year's Head Girl, and my favourite animal is a deer."

Darren seemed to pause slightly, thinking for a moment, before giving his own introduction, "I am Darren Hirsch. Seventh year Hufflepuff, and your Head Boy. My favourite animal is the majestic falcon. Next," he turned to Alice beside him.

Alice turned a particularly deep shade of red before finally gaining her composure. "Alice Longbottom, fifth year, Hufflepuff. My favourite animal is the wolf." She smiled sheepishly, before the next kid continued.

As Rose and Scorpius were nearly on the opposite side of the room, they had to wait several minutes before it was their turns.

"My name's Rose Weasley, and I'm a sixth year Ravenclaw. I think my favourite animals are dogs," Rose smiled, bowing gracefully in Scorpius' direction to indicate that it was his turn.

"Scorpius Malfoy, sixth year Ravenclaw as well. And, er, my favourite animal I guess would be otters."

The Prefect's meeting didn't last much longer after that. They were given the patrol schedule for September, which both were happy to see they shared several shifts, a list of all of the passwords that only they could read. Rose and Scorpius left with the knowledge that they would patrol the corridor in an hour.

Heading back to their compartment, Rose smiled.

"My mother's patronus is an otter. She says it's probably due to its closeness of the weasel family," she smiled at the boy.

"Really?" Scorpius smiled in her direction, "Never would have thought!"

Their earlier fight had been forgotten as they now bantered lightly back and forth as they approached their compartment. Their relationship had been on the downside lately, as they enjoyed each other's companionship rather than the more romantic side to it. Besides, they had still somehow managed to keep it a secret from the rest of the family besides Albus, which still amazed the pair. She figured at least Lily or Hugo would have figured it out by now…but perhaps they had and had decided not to say anything about it. Either way, their relationship was still relatively secretive.

Several hours later, and after a painfully long carriage ride to the castle, they were seated waiting for the Sorting to finish. Rose had her ears trained, desperate to find out the fate of the third Longbottom child. There were several surnames she had recognized, family members of schoolmates, but none she knew personally.

"Longbottom, Thomas," Professor Corner read from the list. Rose looked past to see Professor Longbottom's face gaze expectantly at his son. So far his first son had followed him into Gryffindor, and he wondered if his second would do the same. Or would he follow his sister to Hufflepuff like their mother had once been. Or if he would be a Ravenclaw, or daresay it, a Slytherin. Not that he would be upset, just surprised. His second son was quiet, and liked to keep to himself. He was sometimes overshadowed by his older siblings, and now even his younger sister, who was just shy of three. Hannah was home taking care of her while running the Leaky Cauldron.

Little Tommy Longbottom approached the dais quietly, his lean and lank body so different from his older siblings, but he seemed to smile as he put the hat on. Rose had only ever seen someone smile like that while putting that hat on. The same one Roxanne had on when she one hundred percent knew she would be in Gryffindor. Now her crimson lined robes were there as a result.

Several minutes passed before the brim of the hat opened, "SLYTHERIN!"

Professor Longbottom only seemed surprised for a moment before he began clapping boisterously with the rest of the crowd, the loudest being Alice at the Hufflepuff table.

Rose smiled, so far Professor Longbottom had a child in each house except Ravenclaw, and she pondered where little Clara would go one day. That would make for some interesting sibling rivalry.

Soon the food appeared before them, and then they were sent off to bed. Rose and Scorpius did their jobs of helping to lead the first years up to the tower, while Albus proceeded to bark out nonsense about planning try-outs for two weeks from Saturday on the seventeenth, and that they'd 'all better be there!'. Scorpius and Rose nodded their heads promptly, leaving him to trail behind with Sarah.

Once having successfully led the new first years up to their tower, the seventh year female prefect turned to the group.

"This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room, and as such, your dorms. The only way to enter is by knocking on the door behind me, and successfully answering the riddle given."

"What happens if you get it wrong?" a small boy said from the side.

"Then you either keep trying, or wait for someone else to help you, or open it from the inside. The idea is you gain knowledge and learn something new when you do not know the answer. Ravenclaw is the house of wisdom –"

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure!_" Scorpius piped up.

"Exactly Scorpius," the seventh year brunette smiled at him. "So now you will experience your first riddle." Clanging the knocker, the group waited for the riddle. Finally the melodical voice filled the small space they were in.

'_Which is true, may the glass be half-full, or half-empty to you?_'

Some of the first years seemed to be struggling, but it was that same boy that piped up again. "Well that would depend on whether or not you're filling the glass, or you're drinking from it, wouldn't it?" He blushed as all eyes turned to him. "If you're filling it, then it's half-full, but if you're drinking from it, it's half-empty."

'_Splendid! Enter dear ones! Welcome to Ravenclaw!_'

The door swung wide open, and Rose sighed, glad to be back in her second home. She immediately went to the side of the Common Room where she spotted Albus and Sarah lounging in some chairs, dragging Scorpius with her after the seventh year prefects explained the dorms and rules to the first years.

"It's great to be back!" Sarah chirped, leaning against the window pane beside her. Outside the air had gotten chilly, and the warmth in the tower had left a thin layer of condensation on the glass, and her warmer cheek left an imprint in the sheen.

Rose sat in the only other available seat while Scorpius perched himself on the arm between her and Albus. "Agreed," Rose smiled and patted Sarah's arm. "It's going to be different this year. We're the oldest in our family here. Albus and I…and Dom of course…they're all going to look up to us. When there's trouble, we're going to be called upon. I've been waiting for this since first year!"

"Oh stop being so sentimental Rose! Who cares about being looked up to! Finally we can get away with stuff without James or Fred hassling us! We don't have to rely on their 'acceptance' of any plans. We're in charge!"

Sarah smiled and ruffled his hair.

"But now, when Lily's having trouble with boys, she'll come to me, when Louis' in trouble with bullies again, we can stare them down, when Roxanne is having homework troubles, she'll ask us for our help!"

"Not that they don't all do that already…and what did you say about Lily and boys?" Albus started in on her.

Rose ignored his question, "But now they will _only_ come to us. We, and only we, would be there for them!"

"Since when has Lily been interested in boys? She's just a baby…" Albus scrunched up his nose.

"Oh get over yourself Albus," Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Up until last year, both you and I know she had a huge crush on me, and I had to tell her I was entirely uninterested."

"But that's _different_. Everyone knows the story…kid sister falls for older brother's best friend. It's like all those muggle stories…"

"I'm still a _guy_ Albus. Then there was Henry Peterson in Slytherin…"

"Peterson? _That_ snake? He's a horrible little wanker!"

"You only think that because he hit you with a bludger last year…"

"Well it hurt! He's also a sneaky conniving little –"

"Slytherin," Rose inputted to avoid any more insulting words.

"Exactly!" Albus pulled on his hair. "I'm going to have to have a talk with that girl."

"Well don't forget to bring up Joel Dunwich, Nathan Stroulger, and Matthew Dibbler…" Rose sighed.

"Who are they?" Albus asked, scrunching up his nose.

Rose hadn't meant to slip up. She wasn't supposed to be telling Albus any of this, but it's not like Lily liked her very much lately anyways.

"Just some of the boyfriends she's had over the last few years…" Rose picked at her nails as if the topic was entirely uninteresting, but truthfully she wanted to see Albus' reaction.

"BOYFRIENDS? Wait…SOME OF?" Albus was turning red and starting to vibrate with anger, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.

"Yep. She even managed to sneak Milo Bloxam past you all summer. He even came to see her at the cup, but you were too busy flirting with the Ancrum twins to notice."

Sarah looked livid at this. "You were flirting with those snubs in fifth year?" she practically hissed as she spit the words out.

"But he's a _seventh year_!" Albus looked livid, having completely ignored Sarah in his anger. "We are heading over to Gryffindor tower _right now_!" Albus stood and moved to leave the common room, but Sarah's hand on his wrist stopped him.

"You are no better than her at this point. Flirting with the Ancrum twins? Seriously?"

"What? I wasn't flirting with them! Honest! Ask James and Scorpius! They stopped me, and started asking about what I was going to do as Quidditch Captain, and when tryouts were! They both wanted to be on the team, and I had to regretfully tell them there's only one spot this year. They decided it wasn't worth breaking themselves apart, so they're not trying out. I had to try to convince them to try out anyways, as I've seen them play beater, and they're both pretty good!"

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Sarah crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Because you should trust me!" Albus looked livid once more.

"Fine, but on one condition. Leave Lily alone. If you confront her, she would never forgive you for the rest of your life. She's only having fun, let the girl live a little. If you want, I'll keep an eye on her. She comes to me sometimes for advice anyways, I can have a chat with her. You'd ruin her if you just attacked her for who she's dated, and I can promise you, she'd never talk to you for a very long time. She already got upset with James last year for breaking up her date with Chris Jones, and only recently started speaking to him on good terms again over the summer. And that was _one date_."

Albus seemed to take in what Sarah said before sitting down. "You're right. And I'm sorry." Sighing, he leaned his head back against the chair. "Being an older brother can suck."

"Try being the younger sister, it's worse," Sarah smirked.

"You have an older brother?" Rose asked, confusion etched in her face.

"Yeah. I don't talk about him much, I know. He was two years older than me, but … but he …" suddenly a tear dropped from her eye.

Rose placed a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her friend. "It's OK Sarah…you don't have to tell us, we understand."

"No, I'm fine." She sniffed, and her happy demeanour seemed to return for a moment before slipping away into her sadness. "Before fifth year, our family travelled to Africa for a few weeks. Dad's in the Ministry, see, working with the International Magical Cooperation. He was offered a chance to go down and view the culture of wizards down there, and he took the whole family with him. The trip was lovely, lots of fun and amazing culture, and by the time we got home, we had exhausted ourselves. Douglas…he'd, well he'd messed around a lot. See, he…he was a squib, that's why he never went to Hogwarts. But he thought he was a disappointment to our parents, and, well he did a lot of bad things," Sarah's breath hitched.

"Douglas was into a lot of drugs. He was only seventeen, but he'd done more than a lot of twenty-something year olds had. Mom was upset with him, but still loved him. But dad…dad tried to pretend like nothing was wrong. He acted like they had had the perfect trip. But Douglas had gotten into a lot of trouble. Arrested by muggle police, tried to buy what they call a 'hooker'. I think it's someone you pay to have…sex…with. Anyways, when we got back to England, Douglas got really sick. No one knew what it was; he just started losing all of his energy, and declining in health. Dad brought him to St. Mungo's, but they said they couldn't do anything. It was a muggle infectious disease that could not be cured by magic. The only thing we could do was just watch him…d-die.

"They said he caught it from using needles, and having unprotected sex with someone with the disease. We haven't told anyone, as no one in the magical world really knew him anyways. I think the only person besides the extent of my family that knows is your father, Albus. He was at the hospital on Douglas' last night…"

"He knew? Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't you tell me?" Albus asked, sadness and sympathy in his voice.

"Because my father. He made your dad swear to tell no one, and your father clearly kept that promise. But he made me swear too Albus. But I figure you guys should know."

Scorpius was the first to respond, he stood and pulled Sarah up into his arms, and giving her a bone-crushing hug. "I'm sorry," he said into her hair.

Sarah broke down then as Albus and Rose joined in on the hug, giving their friend the support she needed. "Thanks g-guys," she tried smiling behind her tears, but it was too frail.

Rose led her friend up to bed. "That's why you changed wasn't it?"

Sarah looked at Rose confused, "What?"

"That summer, before fifth year. You returned in September and you were all over Albus. That's what caused you to change."

Sarah blushed and grimaced simultaneously, "Mom said I needed to grow a backbone and just go for what I wanted, and I shouldn't let my brother's death hold me back. So I didn't."

Rose hugged Sarah, "Good. It worked," smiling, they turned in for the night.

Albus groaned, "What am I going to do about Lily, mate? For all I know, she could be off snogging some guy _right now_!"

Scorpius just shook his head. "Relax Albus. James was the same way remember? Moving from person to person? James got over it eventually, I'm betting she will too. It's just a phase. Besides, Sarah said she will have a chat with her, and we all know how much Lily loves Sarah like an older sister, so it will work out."

"You better be right…" Albus grumbled.

…

"Hey Lily!" Sarah said, approaching the younger girl who was currently lounging on a bench by the Greenhouses with several other fourth years. "Can I steal you for a bit?"

"Sure Sarah!" Lily grinned, said a quick goodbye to her friends and followed the older girl down towards the lake. "What's up?"

"Well Rose and I, we're kind of worried about you," Sarah began, trying her best to leave Albus out of it. She didn't want Lily thinking Albus had sent her.

"What do you mean?" Lily looked at her in confusion, "What did I do?"

"It's not something you did. More like, something you're doing." Lily still seemed confused. "We're worried that the way you treat guys is going to come back and bite you in the ass someday."

"What? Me and Milo? We broke up yesterday on the train. He was too clingy…"

"That's what we mean! You think that boys are like your little playthings or something, you don't even _care_! Someday a boy will come along that you'll actually really like, and he's going to end up treating you the same way you're treating all of these guys. You have to be careful Lily, these boys have _hearts_. And they break just like girls."

Lily gaped slightly at her. It was clear she had never actually thought of it that way before, that the boys could be hurt by what she was doing. "I – I – "

"I know Lily, but just try being a bit more careful with who you play with, OK? Even Albus is getting worried, and that's saying something. He's afraid you'll give James a run for his money…"

"Oh Merlin, I am acting like James, aren't I?" Lily sounded appalled with herself now. "What have I done!" she started grabbing her things and then turned back towards the castle.

"Where are you going Lily?" Sarah asked as she watched the younger girl panic.

"I'm going to get my boyfriend back before it's too late! What do I tell him?"

Sarah thought for a moment, "Tell him that you thought it had been the right thing to do, but you couldn't take being apart from him any longer, and insist he takes you back."

Lily suddenly hugged the brunette, "Thanks Sarah!" she cried, before running to the castle.

Sarah smiled, thinking of the good deed she had just done. Albus would be pleased, and could rest easy knowing his sister was going to be more careful now.

She found Albus sitting at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. "I did it!" she praised herself, sitting beside him.

"Did what?" he said through a mouthful tuna sandwich.

"Talked to Lily. And guess what? I think I got through to her!"

Albus swallowed his mouthful of food. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you and that you're brilliant?" He was beaming.

Sarah blushed and smiled.

The doors to the Great Hall burst open then, and a teary-eyed, red-faced Lily entered. Albus had never seen his sister cry before, and suddenly his food didn't matter. He rushed to his sister's side, Sarah in tow.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Lily said nothing, only folded into his arms for a hug like she used to do before they had headed off to Hogwarts. Sarah led the siblings outside of the hall for privacy.

"Lily, sweetie, what happened?" she pushed the red hair from the younger girl's teary eyes.

"I-I found M-Milo w-with an-another g-girl!" she was sobbing by this point, using Albus to keep herself from falling to her knees. "He-he already m-moved on!" She let out a wail and sniffed several times.

"That bastard!" Sarah hissed.

"Sarah you w-were right all along…Albus, Albus I-I'm so s-sorry…"

"Why are you sorry Lils? You don't need to apologize for anything!" he held his baby sister in his arms.

"Albus, let me take Lily up to mine and Rose's room, we'll take care of her. We don't have classes today, remember?" McGonagall saw no need of a one-day school week, as it was a Friday.

Albus only nodded, letting Lily crawl into Sarah's arms, after giving her one last hug.

Albus cursed, the need to punch something was overbearing. His emotions were taking over once again, almost as bad as the time when Rose had been attacked last year, or when William Dolohov had tried to trap her. Anyone passing by would think he was about to explode due to the redness of his face and the whiteness of his clutched fists. He felt that any second steam would pour from his ears, and his brain would explode.

He wanted to kill him, this Milo Bloxam was going to pay for what he did to his little sister. His _baby_ sister. If James wasn't here to do something about it, then Albus would. He would ensure the guys face became one with the ground, that he could never speak to Lily, or anyone for that matter, again.

And as soon as the rage had arrived, it dissipated. Albus guessed he had to just let himself feel the anger for several minutes in order to calm down. Sure he wanted to break the guy's nose, but what good would it do him? It was like Sarah said, he would only end up embarrassing Lily, and himself. And Lily would ensure she never spoke to him again for making such a spectacle.

So he held back. It took a lot of willpower, but he kept himself routed to the ground, and that's where Scorpius found him nearly twenty minutes later.

"Mate, are you alright?" Scorpius hadn't been at breakfast, him and Rose had been at an early Prefect's meeting and had planned to meet Albus and Sarah in the Great Hall.

"I've been better, but I think I'm fine," Albus said through somewhat clenched teeth, "Where's Rose?"

"Gone up to the dormitory. She was practically assaulted by a third year saying Sarah needed her in the tower, and that it was urgent," Scorpius paused, "At first I followed her, but she assured me she could handle it, probably just outfit issues, girl stuff, and told me to go on to meet you for breakfast. Why, what's wrong?"

"It's Lily. Boy troubles, apparently."

"Let me guess," Scorpius scrutinized Albus, gazing at him through squinted eyes, "you've been rooted to this spot for about half an hour, still debating whether to pound the bloke in the face, haven't you?"

"Was I that obvious?" Albus groaned, finally moving from his position.

"Just slightly. You look about as dejected and confused as I did when I sat watching Rose and Alex's date in the Three Broomsticks back in third year. Like you want to kill someone, but you're afraid who it would affect."

"Gee," Albus drawled with sarcasm, "you know me so well."

Scorpius only laughed at his friend's dejection. "So, explain."

It took several minutes, but Albus explained in detail what he knew of what happened between Sarah and Lily, and then what had transcribed from that moment, and every little detail he knew that followed. By the time he finished, Albus felt crushed, and disappointed that he couldn't do anything to help his baby sister.

"First of all, you need to stop thinking of Lily as your baby sister. She's in fourth year now, almost fifteen years old. Soon there will be guys banging on your door, lining up to date her. Hell, I'm with Rose, but I can't help but notice your sister has grown up," he noticed the scared look on Albus' face, "Granted I can only ever think of her as a little sister, and nothing more. But if I've noticed, I'm sure others have. You've got to let her grow up Albus, make her own mistakes. If she loves you, she'll come to you with her problems. If she loves you more, she'll keep them a secret from you."

"Geez Scorp, you've gone sap on me. Since when do you know so much about siblings? You're an only child!"

"I have cousins, remember? Aunt Daphne's kids. They might be little devils, but those three buggers are the closest I have to siblings. Luciana will be here next year, Nicole a year after, followed by Cecily two years after that. They look up to me, you know? And now Aunt Daphne's pregnant again! I'm crossing my fingers for a boy this time; I can't take any more girl drama."

Albus laughed at his friend's indignation. Scorpius was right, sometimes girl's drama could get out of hand, ridiculous at times. Lily was always fretting over clothes, her hair, and of course, Quidditch. His father said it was the same way Ginny had been for a while, but she calmed down eventually. His mom even went as far once to tell him how obsessed she had been with his father when she had first met him, and even beforehand. And how Uncle Ron had always teased her about it, how Uncle George and his brother Fred had made fun of Ginny all that summer before her first year. But it had been his Aunt Hermione who had told her to just be herself, and eventually Harry would notice her. It took a while, but it finally worked.

Perhaps that was what he needed to tell Lily. He knew his mom had never told Lily that story, because she had said she wanted Lily to find out on her own these important things in life, but now was a time for her to hear it.

Before dinner, Albus and Scorpius convinced Rose, Sarah and Lily to come outside with them for a while. Albus had to insist to Lily that he hadn't chased Milo down and beaten the crap out of him before she would budge, but finally they were flanking the trail that led around the Black Lake.

Albus stopped about halfway around, tapping Lily on the shoulder, indicating he wanted to talk with her. Lily told the others to keep going, and they would catch up.

The two walked to the water's edge, quiet until Albus broke the silence.

"He's not worth it Lil," Albus smiled warmly at her.

"What?" Lily asked, surprised. She had expected to be reprimanded by her brother; told off for being such a child, or for acting like a wimp.

"If he can put someone like you behind him so fast without a blink, he's not even worth your time."

Lily began to finally smile through the pain, "Thanks Al."

"Mum had problems with blokes when she was in school, you know?" he felt awkward talking about his mom's love life before his father, but she needed to hear this now, and their mother wasn't about to Floo to the castle to give her daughter relationship advice. He would have to substitute.

"Really?" Lily looked at her brother, awe clearly etched in her face, "Why didn't she ever tell me?"

"I guess she wanted to wait until you had relationship issues of your own. But you've never brought them to her, so I will have to tell you the things she told me."

"_You've_ had relationship issues?"

"I had no idea how to act around Sarah when I realized I had started to like her. Mum gave me my confidence, and I'm going to tell you what she told me." Scratching his head, he moved past the initial awkwardness of the conversation and into the story. "When mom first met dad, she was in shock. Imagine being ten and meeting your complete idol, and knowing you were going to go to the same school as him the next year? And that him and your brother had already formed a somewhat friendship? Uncle Ron, Uncle George and his brother Fred teased mom all the time about it."

"They did? How did they even find out?"

"Well the summer before dad's second year, Uncles Ron, George and Fred rescued dad from the Dursley's home – he wasn't being treated nice – and he stayed with the Weasley's. Mum saw him and couldn't even speak. She kind of freaked out then ran away. That's when the real teasing began. But Aunt Hermione saw what was going on with her, and they had a chat."

"Aunt Hermione knew all along that mum liked dad?"

"Yep. But Aunt Hermione didn't know much about love then, I mean, they were only twelve, and mum was eleven. What was she supposed to say? Aunt Hermione told her the only thing she could think of: Be Yourself."

"Did it work?"

"Well mum's first year wasn't so great. Remember what she told us? About the Chamber of Secrets? Dad saved her you know?"

"I remember." Lily sighed dramatically. Her mum had been so brave, to be possessed by a piece of Voldemort's soul? Lily didn't know what she would have done in her mother's place.

"Anyways, mum thought being herself wasn't working. Over the years she tried dressing herself up. Even dated several of hers and dad's classmates."

"Seriously?"

"Yep, at one point she dated Uncle Dean, and even dated our Charms professor!"

"No way! Professor Corner, ew!" Lily scrunched up her nose.

"Apparently dad finally caught on, he was so jealous that the next time she was single he practically kissed her in front of the whole Gryffindor common room. He tried breaking up with her once, too, after Dumbledore's funeral. Mum was furious, but she agreed, knowing he was only doing it for her safety. They were back together the night following the Battle of Hogwarts though."

"Wow. Why did no one ever tell me this? It's so romantic!" Lily swayed dreamily in her spot, eyes to the clouds above in a trance-like state.

"Because the point of the story isn't the romance, or the nitty-gritty details of how mum and dad got together."

Lily furrowed her brows in confusion, "Then what is the point?"

Albus sighed at his sister's naivety, "The point is is that you need to learn to just be yourself, and everything will work out in the end. You don't need pretty clothes and fancy-schmancy make-up to get some guy's attention. All you need is that fiery Weasley/Potter attitude that I know you have, and a little Lily ingenuity and I won't be able to keep the blokes off of you." Albus scrunched up his nose in disgust. Sure he wanted Lily to find love, but he didn't want to deal with all the before-hand messiness.

Lily smiled, "You meant it?"

"Of course I mean it, silly girl. Would I tell you otherwise? Sheesh, I create such a heartfelt moment between a brother and sister, and you question my motives –"

Albus was interrupted as Lily wrapped her arms around her older brother. She had always looked up to Albus, thinking James way too old to confide in. "Thanks Al," she said with a smile, hugging him tighter.

Albus hugged her back, "No problem, kiddo."

Lily swatted his arm, "I think we can both agree that 'kiddo' is no longer an appropriate term of endearment. I am out of 'kiddo' stage, we can both agree."

Albus only smiled, hugging her tighter trying to get her to shut up, "Ah the beautiful sounds of lapping waves against the shore!" he called out dramatically to no one in particular.

"Al, I'm serious. Maybe you could call me by my name instead –"

"And the wind in the leaves, isn't it simply _fantastic_!" he was twirling her around now, laughing audibly as he ignored his sister entirely.

Lily sighed dramatically, knowing she would never get through to him now.

Lily turned, grabbing Albus by the arm as he still continued to babble incessantly as if their conversation had never occurred. Once she had reached the rest of their friends, she shoved them in their direction.

"Deal with him, I'm going back to the castle. Bye!" Lily chirped, seeming to be in a much better mood, and this made Rose and Sarah smile, glad Albus had gotten through to her, considering the amount of crying she had done in their dorm.

"Oh the birds chirping are _simply divine_, and what a _lovely_ shade of green the grass has taken on!"

"Albus, shut up! Lily's gone now, you can stop acting like an imbecile!" Scorpius smacked him lightly on the head, knowing why his friend was acting so ridiculous.

"_Thank Merlin_, girl drama is so, _blasé_," Albus droned on. Rose smacked him again, harder. "_Ow_!"

"Do you even know what blasé means?" Rose asked.

"Nope," Albus grinned like a kid.

Rose simply rolled her eyes at her cousin, "Come on, I think dinner starts soon anyways. You and your sister's heart to heart took nearly an hour and I'm _starving_."

"Here comes the _Weasley_ side of Rose. Empty stomach ready to be filled," Albus laughed at his cousin's expense.

Rose glared at Albus, before grabbing Sarah's arm and stalking further ahead.

"_Aw_, look what you did Albus!" Scorpius moped, upset to see the girls run down the path away from them.

Albus only shrugged his shoulders, before grabbing Scorpius' arm and hurried after his childish cousin and his girlfriend.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you guys think? I want to know your opinions, really! Like what did you think about Albus telling Scorpius not to tell Rose what he had heard Lucius say? And about Thomas Longbottom being a Slytherin? Don't worry, it's not the last you'll see of him! :) And what about Sarah's brother Douglas? If you're wondering what the disease was, it was AIDs. As a wizarding family, I didn't think they would know much on the disease, so I kind of left them guessing. BTW, that was a spur of the moment plot bunny, but I had always thought of making a companion to this from Sarah's point of view, especially the beginning of the story. I don't think I will ever get the chance, but that plot bunny made me want to more! What did you think of the Lily drama? And the Albus/Lily relationship that I brewed? I love Albus, and Lily too of course, so this scene was one of my favorites to write! Albus is just so silly, typical boy, avoiding drama if he can, but family comes first!

Anyways, with school, it can get hard to update. But I have started in on the next chapter, so who knows when that will be up! Just keep an eye on your subscriptions!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I know it's been a while guys, but this chapter is extra super long, and juicy :) There is so much good stuff in this, I just felt awesome finishing it today. This has to be the longest thing I've written in my entire life, and it makes me so happy! I plan to continue it until graduation. So we're looking at roughly 20 chapters (25 chapters maximum). But there will be a sequel, I promise! I've already begun planning it. I had a plan for this one, but it changed so much that I had to redo it haha! This chapter was about 70% improvised, and that upsets me. But when I have good dreams about my stories, I like to include them! Particularly the Christmas dinner scene, and the Quidditch.

Anyways, thanks to all my lovely reviewers, you are what makes me continue :) Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 16**

The snow fell lightly all around the school as the first Quidditch match of the year loomed over the students. It was Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff, so Rose, Albus and Scorpius were spectators in this match, sitting amongst the other Ravenclaws. The Slytherins had decked themselves out in black, or on the rare occasion, yellow. But the Ravenclaws seemed very intermixed with the reds and yellows of support, being a very neutral house.

Allen McLaggen was first on the field, it seemed he was Captain of the Hufflepuff team now, as Rose had predicted. His team followed, several faces she recognized, while others were new to the team, considering the amount of seventh years they had had the year before. Faces that were familiar were fellow sixth years Isaac Collins and Kaleigh Barbary. And one of the beaters was a prefect, his name, she thought, was Walter, but he was announced simply as 'Randle'. 'Derwent', 'Hatton' and 'Wespurt' were the other members of the team.

Gryffindor soon followed. Rose waved at her family members. Originally it had been just Lily on the team, but her and the newest captain, Karen Roshan, convinced Dominique and Roxanne to try out, and they both secured spots on the team. As did 'Lennox', 'Preece', and last year's beater, Luke Hesledon.

Rose wore no team colors, although secretly she was rooting for Gryffindor. She cheered for both teams equally, but Albus would glare at her every time she cheered for a Hufflepuff goal. Isaac was a good keeper, but Lennox was clearly the better of the two, so for Hufflepuff to get a goal, it was a great deal. The score at this point was 70 to 20 in Gryffindor's favour.

The match was a long one, lasting nearly two hours until finally both seekers seemed to spot the snitch at the same time. Kaleigh and Brian, she learned was Preece's first name, seemed to be neck and neck, and either of them could catch it at this point.

It was a bludger hit with tremendous force that decided the fate of the game.

Kaleigh was no match for a bludger hit by Roxanne Weasley.

Gryffindor cheered as Brian circled the pitch, the snitch twitching in his outstretched hand, landing Gryffindor a win of 280 to 50.

Rose dragged Albus down to the pitch to congratulate their cousins on their win, Scorpius and Sarah followed behind.

They each hugged Lily, Dominique and Roxanne, and congratulated the rest of their team, before tying their scarves tighter and heading back up to the castle. It was nearly dinner time, and Rose, as usual, was complaining of her hunger.

"I mean, the least they could do is have a snack cart during the game. They can last days you know. What if the game went through dinner?"

Scorpius only rolled his eyes, while Albus agreed with her, only to shut her up.

They were some of the last to retreat into Hogwarts, as most didn't stay out in the cold much longer once the game had ended.

…

Sixth year was proving more difficult than the last. Rose spent much of her free time holed up in the Library, her nose glued into a book, furiously scripting notes onto parchment without taking a glance at it. Sometimes Albus, Sarah and/or Scorpius would join her, but she tended to stay until the very last second before curfew, and would be there an hour or so before breakfast. No one could match the grades she was receiving, but it was taking a toll on her body. Rose vowed after Christmas to knock a few hours off of the studying. She was already three months ahead in the homework anyways.

Albus was adamant on extra training. They finally had a replacement for Mandy. Elizabeth Morden, a fourth year, had to be one of the strongest girls he had ever seen, considering she was just shy of being fifteen years old. She got along great with the rest of the team, and he had to laugh when he realized how much of a crush Hugo had on the girl, and how oblivious to it both Elizabeth and Rose were. He'd keep this information to himself, for now.

Scorpius was finding the extra work in becoming an Unspeakable…unbearable. But he stuck through it. It turned out he wasn't the only one in his year interested. Both Lilah Derrick from Slytherin and Robert Finnigan from Gryffindor joined him several times in the extra lessons given by Professors Duke, Babbling, Corner and Binns. Each taught the necessary courses they would need for the Unspeakable program that would follow after seventh years.

Turns out, as they found, Sarah was interested in being a healer. She spent all of her extra time in either extra Potions lessons or hanging around Madam Pomfrey like the others who had the same idea for their future.

It was late November now. The Ravenclaw versus Slytherin game was fast approaching. They had just received the roster of this year's Slytherin team, and curious whom they would be up against, they quickly studied the list.

Rose felt her stomach plummet when she spotted William Dolohov's name on the list as a Beater. He must have been a new addition. Harold Snell the Keeper was captain this year, and it seemed he had wrangled himself a decent team for once. Tiny Peter Jugson as his Seeker, Eddie Baddock, Simon Ramkin and Roy Worple as chasers, and Henry Peterson was the other Beater. This would make for an interesting game.

The cold December morning bit into Rose's skin. She felt like large needles were stabbing into her flesh, and her mouth instantly dried from the cold.

"G-Guys h-how are w-we going to p-play in th-this?" Hugo asked through chattering teeth. His whole body was shaking through his shivers. "I w-won't be able t-to sit st-still on my b-broom with all of th-this sh-shivering!"

"Rose can use a few warming charms on you, that's all we can hope for," Scorpius tried hoping to calm him down.

Rose did as she was told, and he immediately began warming up. Sighing with the warmth finally re-entering his body, he stretched his stiff limbs. "Alright, I should be OK now. I'll be moving to keep warm anyways."

There was no snow, just the bitter wind and icy air that choked them once they exited the locker rooms. Warming charms had been placed over the stands so onlookers weren't uncomfortable. The Ravenclaw and Slytherin teams walked out onto the pitch, and it was obvious that the opposition had yet to think of using warming charms on themselves from the chattering coming from small Peter in the middle of the team.

Albus and Harold shook hands; Harold seeming to stare Albus down in what he thought was an intimidating sneer. But Albus only stared back stoically as if he barely noticed.

The teams mounted their brooms, the whistle was blown, and everyone took off.

Rose flew back and forth in front of the goals, frantically peering through the players to find the Quaffle, which she immediately locked her eyes on. Scorpius had it under his arm and was already racing to the Slytherin goal post.

Jacob and Lorcan were on his tail, Albus was zooming around the pitch already, trying to spot the snitch. Rose could see Hugo and Elizabeth each taking a swing at two Bludgers, aiming them both at the Slytherin keeper, Harold.

Both missed, unfortunately, but due to Harold's distraction, Scorpius slipped the Quaffle past him and Ravenclaw was up ten points. Rose grinned, giving a thumbs up to her teammates.

Jacob was desperately trying to get the Quaffle back from the scrawny fourth year chaser while Lorcan narrowly avoided another bludger. Rose continued to watch the game intently. Hours passed, and the game was completely one-sided, with Ravenclaw having seventy points, while Slytherin had none.

Rose laughed when she saw little Roy Worple the fourth year heading her way. He was so small, she was sure her teammate would have the Quaffle from him any second, and there was no way he would get it past her anyways.

She prepared herself for the obvious left goal he was taking as he faked right.

However, she was unprepared for the resounding crack into her side of a bludger as it tore into several of her ribs before speeding off.

Rose was even further unprepared for the second one hitting her square in the back, knocking her clear off of her broom, and sending her to the ground and total darkness, but not before she saw the smirking face of William Dolohov above her.

Both Albus and Scorpius stopped in mid-air as they saw their best friend plummet to the ground. Professor Wood managed to slow her decent and land her on a stretcher, but the seconds it took was enough distraction for Slytherin to get two goals. Without a Keeper they were doomed. This clearly had been Slytherin's plan from the beginning, as Rose was one of their star players.

"HUGO!" Albus cried, "TAKE KEEPER, WE ONLY NEED ONE BEATER RIGHT NOW!" His voice was somehow heard over the whistling winds. The younger Weasley nodded before zooming to his older sister's position that she had occupied only moments before. Scorpius had seen Hugo keep. He was decent, but wouldn't make a team solely on his keeper skills.

_'WITH ROSE WEASLEY OUT OF THE GAME, CAPTAIN ALBUS POTTER INSTATES HER YOUNGER BROTHER, AND BEATER, HUGO WEASLEY AS KEEPER. WILL HE BE ABLE TO SAVE RAVENCLAW FROM A DEVASTATING LOSS_?' The commentator's voice was heard by all above the whistling winds.

Hugo blanched at the pressure now on his shoulders, and unfortunately this seemed to take a toll on the younger Weasley.

An hour later found the game tied at one hundred and fifty. Being down a beater and good keeper was rough. But they managed. Albus was desperately searching out the snitch.

Thankfully it decided to show its wings minutes later, and Albus sighed with relief as his fingers clasped the metal ball into his fist.

The game had lasted nearly four hours. The crowd was exhausted, but not as tired as the team. Scorpius and Albus showered and changed as fast as possible, congratulated their teammates on a good win, and then hurried up to see Rose.

She was lying on a bed, her eyes closed and breathing deep.

"Don't worry boys; she'll be as good as new in a day or two. Honestly that girl has no luck; I should just reserve a bed in here for her." Madam Pomfrey shook her head, but a small smile was on her face nonetheless.

…

Christmas was fast approaching, and the train was leaving for the holidays the following morning. Rose had been released from the hospital wing a few days before, and she looked better than ever. She told the boys how it had been William to hit the Bludgers at her, attacking her from behind, catching her off guard as Worple had been about to score.

They wanted to take him down a few pegs, but Rose denied them the opportunity, forcing them to study with her and Sarah in the library for the rest of the night, no matter their complaints and protests.

They also had been allowed to begin Apparition training early as their twelve-week classes would begin after Christmas. Scorpius and Rose would be able to take the test, Albus, like his father, would have to wait until the summer term test.

They had a dodgy little man from the Ministry teaching them the importance of the _Three D's_ (_Honestly, we get it! __One must be completely _determined_ to reach one's _destination_, and move without haste, but with _deliberation. _He doesn't have to repeat it every ten seconds!_). According to Rose's parents and Uncle Harry, the instructor's father had been just as adamant in their lessons years before. Her father also added a note to the letter, inserting some appropriate insults along the lines of _dog-breath_ and _dung-head_; just some suggestions from his term.

Finally the holiday came. The train ride home had been long, yet uneventful. Scorpius was spending another Christmas with the Weasley/Potter/Lupin families, but this time staying with Albus. Sarah was, regretfully, staying with her father's family for the holiday.

Rose's parents still didn't know about her and Scorpius. Then again, there hadn't really been given any signs. They avoided any and all displays of affection except hugs, and they included Albus and Sarah in everything they did together. Hugo and Lily were growing suspicious, and Dominique had been dropping hints, but that was it as far as Rose could tell.

She hoped she could tell her family at the New Year's party, which Scorpius had promised to spend with his parents. That way he was out of harm's way, and she could easily escape to the Potter's home for the final two days of holidays if need be.

Rose sat in her bedroom, huddled in the corner of her bed with a blanket wrapped around her. Dinner wasn't for another half an hour, and Rose was enjoying a very good book.

A loud _whoosh_ was heard downstairs, and Rose assumed someone had just Flooed to the house. Probably Aunt Ginny or Uncle Harry, heck, it could have been Albus and Scorpius for all she knew.

What she didn't expect was a sobbing Dominique to enter her room only seconds later and for her to collapse onto the bed beside her.

Rose had never seen Dominique cry. She was one of the strongest in the family besides Roxanne, who could be a real hard ball sometimes and could give her uncle Charlie a run for his money.

"Dom? Dom what's wrong?" Rose pulled her cousin into her arms and brushed the blonde hair from her face. Dominique was only a few months younger than Rose, but she had never come to Rose for advice at any point in time.

"R-Rose. I-I've d-done s-s-s-something _awful_. She's g-going to ha-hate me!" Dominique was wailing into Rose's arms.

"Dom, it can't be that bad. What did you do? Who's going to hate you?"

"V-Vicky, she'll n-never sp-speak to me ag-g-ain!" Rose cringed as her cousin blew her nose in her bedspread.

"Dom, I don't understand. What happened? Start from the beginning."

Dominique sat up, trying to calm her sobs, but only managed in subsiding them a little. "I have done the w-worst thing a sister c-could possibly ever d-do." Wiping her eyes, she sat up a little straighter, as if trying to gain the confidence to speak. "I – I – Rose I c-can't tell you."

Tears leaked from her eyes, and her face twisted in agony.

"Tell me Dom, I won't tell a soul, I swear. Witch's honour!" Rose crossed her fingers over her heart in a salute.

"Al-alright," Dominique took a deep breath, "I sl-slept with T-Teddy."

Rose blinked at her cousin. She was in shock, Dominique, her slightly younger cousin, had slept with Teddy? As in her pseudo-cousin? As in the boy who was eight years older than them, and had married Victoire only this past summer? Rose didn't understand.

"What?"

"You heard me. I sl-slept with Teddy. Granted, I'm p-pretty sure he doesn't even remember it, as it occurred a w-week before he married my di-dimwitted sister, and he was so d-drunk he couldn't even spell his own name on the sig-signature for the hotel room. But he had just had a huge f-fight with Vick and he didn't want to g-go home drunk."

"Dom, are you serious?"

"Yes Rose, I'm p-pretty sure I'm serious that I lost my vi-virginity to my older sister's fiancé the w-week before their wedding. And the idiotic bloke doesn't even r-remember anything about it. I'm just s-so thankful I never got _pregnant_. That w-would be horrible."

"And this isn't? Dom. Vicky doesn't _know_. She's your sister and you slept with her fiancé, now husband! You have to tell her. Vick's the forgiving kind; she'll understand that you guys were drunk – "

"I wasn't that drunk."

" – and that it was a mistake. Wait, what do you mean you weren't that drunk?"

"I mean I had had a total of one d-drink, and I was p-pretty much sober by the time we got to t-that hotel r-room."

"Dom, how could you? Your sister…"

"Rose, I know. I'm a horrible p-person. I'm a stupid sodding idiot! But I'd had a crush on him for years, I'm sur-surprised no one even noticed. I guess everyone was too focused on him and V-Vick to even notice me pining in the b-background. But anyways, he started kissing me once we reached the door, p-probably thought he was home and I was Vick, because next thing I knew, we were both in b-bed together, and he was moaning _my sister's name_. That's right, b-bloke couldn't even get the person he was sleeping with's n-name right. I had never been so upset in my life. I let him f-finish, and then I left after he fell asleep."

"Oh Dom, I wish I had any sort of advice. But the only thing I can think of is talk to Teddy first. He has to know if he doesn't already. Then you both have to talk to Victoire. And don't you dare let him control the conversation. It's your confession, not his. Vick will forgive him in the long-run, but sister's need to forgive each other first, and if she hears Teddy's side of the story first, well she may take a while to forgive you."

Dominique suddenly reached her arms around Rose and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Rose, I really n-needed you to set me straight. But I think I will at least wait until after Christmas, no n-need to ruin the holiday. And besides, I'll be back to school right after, so less awkwardness." She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up.

"Oh, and Rose? Your mother said dinner was ready so you better get you and your brother downstairs."

Rose nodded, and gave her cousin one last reassuring hug before ushering her out the door and hunting down her brother in his bedroom.

Dinner was a quick affair, considering her father and brother could eat Rose and her mother under the table, regardless of the food type. Even Hermione's spicy chilli was no match for the Weasley boys as it was scarfed down, followed by seconds and thirds.

…

Christmas was spent at the Burrow once more; all of the family was to be there. Uncle Charlie had said he was bringing a surprise, and Rose was excited. Maybe her immature middle-aged uncle had finally found a girlfriend.

Rose and her Uncle Charlie spoke occasionally through the old compact mirror he had given her. She had kept it after their stay in Romania with him, and even though the trip had ended early, due to the arrival of Scorpius' grandfather, Rose had loved the country. Her, Albus and Scorpius were planning another trip there soon, perhaps as a graduation trip, but planned to invite Sarah this time.

Currently Rose, Albus and Scorpius were lounging in the second living room, where all of the Hogwarts-aged kids hung out. Lily and Hugo were talking furiously in a corner, Dominique and Roxanne were playing exploding snap in the center of the floor, Roxanne clearly winning from the amount of groans coming out of Dominique it was obvious. Lorcan and Lysander were trading chocolate frog cards with Louis, his now-prominent French accent was noticeable as the three argued over their trades, while Alice read in a chair by the fire place. The odd one out in the group was Thomas, who sat in the other chair by the fire, just staring at the logs.

Thomas, it seemed, fit in well with the Slytherins. Alice didn't mind, but his older brother Frank teased him a lot apparently, sending letters all term about what a disgrace he had turned out to be. According to some of the Slytherins, he now burned the letters without even opening them.

Rose, Albus and Scorpius occupied the only couch in the room. Albus and Scorpius were discussing Quidditch while Rose, like Alice, was reading. It was good to escape in a book once in a while, especially at a "Weasley" clan gathering.

Teddy and Victoire came in the room then, and Rose wasn't surprised to see Dominique tense, make an excuse and then leave. Rose wondered how Dominique planned to talk with them once New Years passed. She hoped she would follow her advice, and talk to Teddy first.

Then came a loud yell, announcing dinner was ready. Rose was upset; she had yet to see Uncle Charlie show up.

After sitting to the table, the sound of the front door opening could be heard. Molly Weasley the elder went to check on whom their last minute arrival was, and no one was surprised when there was a cry of "Charlie, my boy!"

There was surprise after the statement that followed, "Oh, and you've brought a _girl_. Wait…_I know you_!" A high pitched squeal followed, "Oh, dear, let me take your coats. Go on in now, everyone's waiting! Charlie, introduce her will you?"

Rose sat on the edge of her seat. Uncle Charlie was perhaps her favourite uncle, and he finally found a girlfriend for himself. It was so exciting! She wished he had told her sooner though, he hadn't mentioned her once.

It seemed Rose wasn't the only one excited, each person's eyes were glued to the entrance, waiting for the arrival of the mystery girl.

Charlie entered first, and then behind him strode in a girl with short blonde hair. Rose thought she was familiar, but she couldn't put a name to the girl. Uncle George perked up, a big smile on his face.

"Well go on then!" James prodded his uncle.

It was then that Charlie Weasley _blushed_.

"Hello everyone, this is my girlfriend, Verity Ridgebit. Some of you might…er…remember her."

"Verity!" George practically yelled after the introduction, standing up to give her a hug.

"Hi George," Verity said, a little shyer than Charlie was with the hello's, "Long time, no see."

"Well yes! It's been, what, ten years now?" George smiled down at the shorter girl.

A very audible cough was given by James, a clear sign that he wanted a better explanation.

Verity blushed, but George smiled. "Before the war, Verity worked in the shop. She was the first shop assistant we had. When the war came, we feared we wouldn't see her again, as she had to go into hiding. However, when the war was over, she came right back to work as if nothing had happened. Best assistant we ever had!"

"HEY!" Fred cried from the other end of the table.

"Oh hush Fred, you're my son. It doesn't count."

"Anyways, she worked with us for many years, even taking over when I took paternity leave for little Roxanne over here," he ruffled his grumbling daughter's hair. But when I came back, she just up and quit. Now why'd you do that?"

All eyes turned back to Verity.

"My dad needed me back home."

"Which is where?" probed James.

Uncle George glared at him.

"My dad is the current owner and supervisor of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. My grandfather, Harvey Ridgebit, established the area, but my dad runs it now. He needed help, so I offered."

"And that's where I found her," Charlie said, a big grin sliding onto his face.

A series of '_aww_'s went around the table as all the females looked on in romantic dreamy gazes. The guys however just sat there, the story not affecting them as much. Most were still in shock that Charlie had brought home a _girl_.

"Sit down! Sit down!" Molly Weasley burst into the room, shuffling everyone to their seats. Coincidently, Charlie and Verity were between Teddy and Victoire, and Bill and Fleur, directly across from Rose, Albus and Scorpius.

Dinner, like at Rose's house, was loud and raucous. Scorpius was finally getting used to the loud obnoxious family, and was quite enjoying himself. Verity was quite the joke teller, and had the three of them in stitches, plus surrounding family. Rose loved the way Charlie couldn't keep his eyes off of Verity the whole meal. She found it quite adorable, and was proud of her uncle.

Charlie, at least, wasn't the only one who had brought someone new along with him. Aunt Fleur's younger sister Gabrielle had a handsome French man on her arm, and cousin Lucy was sat beside a timid boy who had yet to speak the whole meal. He seemed to be taking everything in slowly, analysing every detail of every member of the family.

Another surprise guest was Mandy Carmichael, who was seated beside James, berating him for taunting Charlie on his new girlfriend.

Rose hadn't known Mandy had ever liked her cousin. She knew they were bitter rivals when it came to Quidditch, but honestly, Rose thought Mandy had liked Justin Flint. But she must have gotten over that crush, because at that moment, Ginny Potter was scolding her son for "public displays of affection", better known as snogging at the dinner table.

Albus only laughed at his older brother. He had known about James' crush, but had never thought his brother would act on it.

Grandpa Weasley carved the roast turkeys, there were six to feed the whole of the family. Other meal essentials were passed around, and eventually Rose was so full, she thought she would burst.

All heads turned when there was a tinkling sound, caused by a fork on a wine glass. Victoire smiled as she put the glass and fork down, and pulled Teddy up by his arm into a standing position.

Rose looked down at Dominique, who had paled.

"Everyone, we have an announcement to make!" Teddy said with excitement. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "Looks like there will be need for another chair at the Weasley table next year!"

"I'm pregnant!" Victoire beamed.

The table burst with congratulations, Rose watched with sadness though as Dominique hugged her sister, but completely blew off Teddy before leaving the room. Rose waited a few minutes before following.

Scorpius gazed after her in confusion, but Albus shook his head, signalling to leave the girls alone to their troubles.

After dinner, the family and guests mingled around the house, or headed up to bed. Anyone who was fourth year or below was banished to their bedrooms, leaving all of the older children to do what they wanted for the rest of the evening. Lily and Hugo complained as both were dragged upstairs, not wanting to go to bed just yet. Alice sat bouncing in a chair. This was the first year she was allowed to stay up later, and she reminded Lily and Hugo of the fact that this is their last year going to bed early.

Rose had sat out in the yard with Dominique for over an hour now as she cried into her arms.

"H-how am I sup-supposed to tell them now? It will ruin everything, and they'll hate me for not only telling the secret b-but for ruining their f-family!"

Twice this week Dominique had cried. Considering Rose had never seen her cry before, this was a big deal.

"You still love him, don't you?"

Dominique stared with shock at Rose, before wailing about how she was still in love with him, and now the last of her hopes had been tread on and thrown over a cliff.

Dominique may not cry, but she was well-known for being a drama queen.

"Look Dominique. We're Weasleys. Remember what Grams used to always say? S'long as our family is behind us, we can take on anything. It doesn't matter if some will hate you for what you've done. You have me, I promise. And if you have me, I can assure you Albus and Lily will back me up, as well as Hugo and James. That's a fair chunk of us right there. We're with you through thick and thin, I promise!"

"You mean it?" her voice was small, like a child's filled with hope.

"Of course Dom. We may not be the closest in the family, but you're family and that is all that matters. If you need me to kick Teddy in the nether regions for you, I can."

"Why are we kicking Teddy in the crotch?" Dom shrieked as Albus spoke from behind them.

"Albus! Don't sneak up on people! It's rude," Rose glared at her cousin.

"Seriously, what did Teddy do now?"

Rose looked at Dominique, hopefully giving her the confidence she needed. She needed to be able to tell others her side to the story, and it would have to start with Albus.

"I slept with Teddy," Dominique said with confidence, but the pain was evident in her voice. Albus stared at her in shock as she began to retell the story of what had happened the previous summer, every detail. When she had finished, Albus enveloped her in a hug.

Albus and Dominique had never been close; in fact, they barely spoke to each other. But she was still family, and that's what counted. "Don't worry Dom. It was still a very wrong thing to do, but Grams would say 'You've got your head straight, now just deal with the consequences.' I should know, it's what she said to me after she realized I had yet to tell my parents about my relationship with Sarah."

"You never told your parents?" Rose furrowed her brows, why would Albus keep that a secret.

"_Like you can talk_," Albus hissed back.

Dominique seemed to finally clue in, "Ah, so you and Scorpius _are_ in a relationship!" she squealed. Rose tried to deny it, but her protests fell on empty ears. "How have you managed to keep that a secret for so long? I mean, if it were me, I would have dished about it to anyone who would listen!"

Rose looked at her cousin in confusion.

"Rose, please. You haven't noticed how many of the girls our age have crushes on him? Heck some even have plans to try to steal him from you!"

"But they don't know we are in a relationship. How could they plan to steal him from me?"

"Please, if they didn't _know_ you were in a relationship, it was only _obvious_ that _something_ was going on between you, whether you were fuck-buddies, or just trying to hide something."

Rose scrunched her nose. The idea of sex was appealing, but she was definitely not ready for any of that any time soon. She would rather wait until after marriage if at all possible. Connie was right, she _was_ a prude.

"Fine, we are in a relationship. Happy?"

"Yes I am!" this time it was Rose's turn to shriek as two arms snaked around her waist. Scorpius kissed her cheek lightly before sitting beside her.

Dominique grinned.

"Well now that _that_ is out of the way, I'm going inside, probably to bed. Good night," Dominique sighed before yawning. Then she stood up and headed inside.

"Way to scare the pants off me Scorpius," Rose grumbled, but leaned against him. It had gotten a bit chilly out, and he was warm. She pulled Albus close to her other side so she was surrounded by two warm bodies. Sighing with content, she felt herself slowly drifting off to sleep, the scent of a completed turkey dinner still wafting out of the house behind them lulling her into a dream.

Scorpius woke her a few minutes later, complaining of the cold and wanting to go back inside, so the three picked themselves up and headed back into the Burrow.

Rose settled herself down by her Uncle Charlie in the old sitting room. They were the only two in their at this point. The fireplace crackled comfortingly, and Rose smiled with content.

"So when did you plan to tell me about Verity?" Rose asked, jealousy obvious in her voice, as well as hurt.

"Honestly Rosie, I was so afraid of getting anyone's approval, that it slipped my mind that you would be hurt by me not telling you first. I'm so sorry," he squeezed her shoulders lightly. "I also didn't even think she was going to come, and I didn't want to embarrass myself if she didn't show."

"It's OK Uncle Charlie, I forgive you," Rose smiled and hugged him back. "Now come on, I want all of the nitty gritty details!"

Charlie only rolled his eyes at his niece. This was typical curious Rose, and he knew if he didn't tell her, she would go to Verity herself.

"Well I first met her when she worked in the shop for George and Fred…"

...

Rose woke in her bed the next morning; unsure of how she had gotten there. She was still at the Burrow, as most had stayed the night.

Looking down, she was surprised to see herself in pyjamas as well. Shrugging her shoulders, she got up quietly, so as not to disturb the sleeping Dominique in the next bed over. Grabbing her clean clothes, hairbrush, and toothbrush, she made her way to the bathroom down the hall. Luckily, it was unoccupied.

One hot shower later found Rose eating breakfast with several other member of her family. Boxing Day was usually a quiet affair, where most family members would pack up and head home, the irony evident in the name of the holiday. The United Kingdom did not celebrate Boxing Day as a Bank Holiday, but the majority of the Wizarding World did, so the Weasley family happily stayed home on their paid extra holiday, although some were on call so they kept their shoes and cloaks near them in case.

There wasn't much of the family left; one by one they took their turns to either head home or elsewhere.

James and Mandy left early in the morning as Mandy had to return to Quidditch practice, the Scamanders were gone, as were the Longbottoms. Teddy and Victoire had left to celebrate their big news. Charlie and Verity had left to take their Portkey back to Romania. Aunt Angelina unfortunately was called back to work as an Unspeakable, so Uncle George took Roxanne home and sent Fred to clean their store. Uncle Percy had to return to his work with the Minister, so Aunt Audrey returned home with Molly and Lucy. Lucy's new boyfriend hadn't stayed the night, and Auntie Gabrielle and her beau left early this morning to return to France.

This left Albus and the rest of his family plus Scorpius, what was left of Dominique's family, and Rose's family.

Albus was scarfing down several eggs, while Lily scoffed at her older brother's piggish appetite. Scorpius only laughed, while Hugo mocked his older cousin by pointing out the yolk that had dripped down the side of his chin and onto his new shirt. Dominique only rolled her eyes while Louis just snickered behind his glass of orange juice.

Rose had always loved her younger cousin Louis. He was probably the simplest of their cousins, not being very extravagant or 'out there', he managed to keep to himself. Students were surprised when he spoke, considering he rarely did, and his mother's heritage was clearly evident in him as he spoke with a rich French accent, which neither Victoire nor Dominique had managed to pick up.

The fourteen year old had a light strawberry blonde hair that was an obvious combination of his mother's blonde and his father's Weasley red, and his tall lanky body replicated his father's and uncles' to near perfection.

Rose never understood why he had been sorted into Gryffindor. His personality was clearly that of a Hufflepuff, but Rose simply pushed that thought away. The Sorting Hat must have found some confidence in the boy to back up his decision.

Placing her dishes in the sink, she cleared up what was left of her breakfast and then headed upstairs to get dressed and clean herself up. She narrowly avoided Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's snog fest in the stairway, whistling at them suggestively as she briskly slipped past. Aunt Ginny only winked in response while Uncle Harry's cheeks tinged pink.

"Bit early for a snog, eh?" Rose grinned as she strode further down the hall back to the newest wing where her room was that she had shared with Dominique. Rose grabbed a sweater, her jacket, a hat and some gloves, planning to go on a walk through the garden. For winter, it was surprisingly a nice day outside, just chilly.

…

Rose tied a gold ribbon into her auburn curls to match the gold shiny dress she was wearing with her black stockings. Uncle Harry's New Years party began in fifteen minutes and she still wasn't waiting. Her parents waited anxiously downstairs for both her and Hugo to finish getting ready. Hugo was just being lazy, but Rose was being picky. Scorpius was planning to spend the night with his parents, but not for another hour, so she would hopefully see him before he left.

She needed a boost of confidence if she planned to go through with telling her parents about her relationship with Scorpius. It amazed her how she had been able to keep it a secret for so long, but then again, they didn't have a normal relationship anyways. Rose thought it was great how they didn't desperately need to be touching and feeling each other all of the time, and how they could easily sit in comfortable silence without the need to snog each other. In fact, they had only had one alone moment all of the holiday so far.

Finally Rose grabbed her black boots and a light jacket and met her parents downstairs. Hugo followed quickly behind, and a minute later they Flooed to the Potter's house.

Upon exiting the fireplace, Rose planned to immediately search out Scorpius and Albus. However, when she entered the home, having been the first of her family to go through the Floo, she found the house in disarray. Shouts were coming from every room, and a red jet of light skirted past her, singeing the tip of her nose. Rose immediately went into panic mode, and when her brother entered through the Floo, she pushed him back through, shouting about the situation to her parents. Fearing for her family, she transfigured the fireplace into a doll house, so they could not re-enter the home without Apparating to the end of the lane and walking in themselves, ensuring they would leave Hugo behind.

Rose dodged another jet of light, followed by another. Men and women in dark cloaks were firing spells at her family left, right and center. She could see several bodies on the floor, and she could feel worry set in. For now, she didn't know what to do. Uncle Harry was beside his wife, their three children behind them backed into a corner, but well defending themselves. Rose thought it best to aid them.

The four cloaked figures caught on quick that another witch had entered their fight, and immediately two turned to her, intending to finish her off. The taller one seemed to hesitate with surprise. Rose assumed he hadn't expected someone like her to be interrupting, a young, vulnerable witch that technically was not even allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts for another month.

Rose held her own though, and immediately fired a stunning spell at his shocked face. His body stumbled, but he was strong and was barely affected. This threw Rose off slightly, but she countered with a body-bind, and sent the same spell at his partner, both fell over, stiff as boards.

When Rose turned, Uncle Harry had the other two bound and gagged.

"Albus, where's Scorpius?" Rose cried.

"He had to leave early, he sends his apologies. Unfortunately, it seems he's missed the fun!" Albus rushed to her side, Lily not far behind. James stood in a stupor of sorts. "James you dolt, go find Mandy!" He seemed to wake up then, and sped off towards the kitchen.

"Rose, where are your parents?" Uncle Harry asked.

"I was first to come through the Floo. When I saw what was going on, I pushed Hugo back through and warned my parents. I had to transfigure your fireplace into a doll house to prevent Hugo from coming back."

"I'm going to Apparate the younger kids to your home Rose. Lily, come with me, we need to find the others!" Aunt Ginny grabbed Lily's hand and dragged her away.

"What's happened Uncle?" Rose questioned Harry.

"Honestly I've no idea. One moment Grandmum Molly was telling a delightful story about Fred and George, Verity and their shop, the next we were under attack. There is only one possible means of entry into a home with this many protection spells, and I'm assuming you've already figured that much out, eh Rosie?"

"House-elves."

"Correct! Your parents seemed to have arrived, I would advise you to fill them in, and then either leave with the other kids, or help. Many have moved their fight into the garden. The rest are in the ball room!"

Uncle Harry ran off, and Rose dragged Albus to the door where Hermione and Ron had just rushed in. She quickly explained to them the situation.

"Go home Rosie, I'm not permitting you to fight!"

"I turn 17 next month dad, I'm staying!"

"Ronald, she's nearly 17, she's right. Darling be careful, OK?" Hermione hugged her daughter. "Remember, there's always _Protego_ if you run out of spells!" Hermione knew her daughter would never run out of spells though.

Rose grabbed Albus' arm and dragged him to the Garden where the largest part of the battle seemed to be. Rose saw Aunt Ginny and Lily rounding up the younger kids; Louis, Roxanne, Lorcan, Lysander and Thomas. Quickly she dragged them past the perimeter where they all disappeared with an resounding crack. Rose sighed with relief.

Suddenly a blast of hot air knocked the pair off of their feet, sending them flying into the outside wall of the house. The impact knocked the wind out of them, and it took them a moment to recover. Albus was on his feet before Rose, and immediately sent a counter curse but missed.

He helped Rose to her feet quickly, and they dashed off towards Fred and Lucy, who were in a tangle with two hooded figures and a third, whose hood had come off, revealing a nasty looking mask. With two more helping, they easily finished off their three opponents.

Rose looked at Fred, his nose was bleeding and his shoulder looked like it was out of place.

"I can fix it!" Rose said, she pointed her wand at his nose and hissed _Episkey_. There was a crack, and Fred cried out in pain, but it had settled and healed. She quickly siphoned off the blood to clean him up. "Now the shoulder," Fred hesitated, but allowed her to grasp his upper arm and collar bone. "Three…two…one…" she grunted as she forced his bone back into place. Fred only groaned in response, but eventually his pain settled. He nodded at Rose, before grabbing Lucy's arm and running back inside.

A force slammed into Rose, and she felt herself fly across the lawn and into the fence. The wood snapped under the pressure, and she rolled for several meters before coming to a stop at the bottom of a hill.

"_ROSE_!" someone cried her name in the distance, but her body felt weak, and she couldn't even move her right arm.

Albus watched in horror as his cousin flew across his yard and into the next property, down over the hill. He called to his cousin, but moments later that same force attacked him. Luckily he only moved a meter or two from where he had been standing and had managed to stay upright.

The hooded culprit was advancing on him, and Albus searched desperately for his wand. Seconds later there was a snap, and Albus watched in horror as the man picked up his now broken wand.

"_Oops_," the man sneered before pointing his wand at Albus. Albus braced himself, but nothing came. Suddenly he fell forward, stiff as a board onto his face. Albus swivelled his head around, only to see James brandishing his wand in his direction a few feet away.

"Thanks," Albus said with disdain. He loved his brother, but now James would taunt him about how he saved his life and all.

Albus felt useless. He was now unarmed, and alone. He picked up his broken wand, and felt his eyes glisten as he felt the unicorn hair which was keeping the two halves together. His father was going to kill him.

Albus bent down and swiped the man's wand from his frozen hand. He needed something to defend himself. But first he had to check on Rose. Rushing over the hill, he advanced on the collapsed body of his cousin.

He prayed she wasn't dead, as Rose remained unmoving, and the scene felt altogether too familiar to him. Rolling her over, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. She was staring up at the sky and breathing hard.

"Al-Albus. I think I broke my right arm. And some ribs." Coughing, she tried to sit up, but winced as she moved herself.

"Here, I'll carry you."

Quidditch, luckily, had given him a bit more strength, and carrying Rose was no issue.

Turning back towards their house, he hoisted Rose a little higher in his arms, but nearly dropped her as he saw ten to fifteen cloaked figures advancing down the small hill towards them. With Rose barely able to move let alone defend herself, and Albus having someone else's wand, they may as well have been sitting ducks.

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**A/N:** So? Like it? Love it? Let me know :)


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Quickest update I've had in a while! But with no homework or studying to do, I have a lot more free time, even though I am still busy at my workterm during the day.

This chapter kind of flowed effortlessly for me, and there's going to be a lot of secret surprises! A lot is revealed, while a lot more is kept secret! Enjoy!

Also, thanks everyone for the amazing reviews, you make me blush and giggle like a school girl :3

* * *

**CHAPTER 17**

Rose had yet to see the figures coming towards them, as she was facing in the other direction, but a sharp prod to her side made her turn her head. Instantly panic set in and she removed herself from her cousin's arms, but not without using him as a crutch of sorts.

"Albus…_Albus what do we do_?" she hissed as they made their way further from the property. Going back was not an option, but several wizarding families lived nearby, perhaps if they could make it to one of their homes…

"_Run_!" Albus grasped Rose's small hand in his and tugged hard, pulling her behind him as he ran. Rose responded to the yank on her arm, unfortunately it was her right arm, and the pain it caused made her slightly dizzy, and she could feel the trees and houses nearby spinning in her mind.

Rose realized with delight, though, that she had managed to still have her wand the entire time, and thanked Merlin for her luck. Immediately she fired spells behind them using her left hand, praying that they wouldn't miss their targets. In the not so far distance, they could hear several grunts in response to her jinxes, but not as many as Rose had hoped.

Wincing, she turned and began to fire another spell over her shoulder, only to be knocked back by another force landing roughly on the grass behind her. Rose heaved as her breath was knocked out of her once more. Albus rushed to her side, hoping she was alright, and began pulling her to her feet.

All the cloaked wizards and witches were getting closer, advancing on them every second. Rose thought carefully of a spell that could stop all of them from hurting her and Albus again, and she heard her mother's voice in her head.

_Remember, there's always _Protego_ if you run out of spells!_

Rose gripped her wand and shouted, _PROTEGO TOTALUM_!

Instantly a bubble-like force sprouted from her wand, heading straight at their attackers, knocking them completely off of their feet. Rose stood in shock for a moment at the strength of her spell, she had only been expecting a small shield, not something with this much force.

Albus gripped her arm again and not a second later they were running back to the property in hopes to get to safety. Their best bet was to get to an adult who could Apparate them to Rose's house with the others. This was not their battle to fight.

Rushing back through the front door, they dodged another spell just in time. Rose could feel her broken ribs constricting on her lungs making it harder to breathe. Her hand made its way to her side and her fingers wrapped themselves over the pained area.

"Rose are you – "

He never got to finish his sentence before a stun spell hit him square in the back and he fell forward unconscious. Rose rushed to his side, but a hand clamped itself around her upper arm and began dragging her away.

"_ALBUS_!" she managed to screech before being dragged into a small closet under the stairs.

It was dark, and Rose couldn't see a thing, there was hardly any room, and if she stood perfectly straight, her head would hit the ceiling. The person who had grabbed her seemed to notice this as they too were crouching in a similar fashion it seemed.

"Let me go," Rose hissed, trying to remove the grip on her arm that had begun to hurt.

Rose only saw a gleam of teeth before hearing the man – the voice clearly belonged to a man – say _Imperio_.

And everything went black.

…

Hermione searched desperately for her daughter. At this point, she was the only member of the family unaccounted for, and Hermione worried that she had gotten lost somewhere in the forest behind the property, or worse, had been taken captive.

"Harry, is there anywhere we haven't looked?"

"Well – "

"Well what?" Ron had entered the room. "Where Harry?"

"There's the cupboard under the stairs, but it's locked you see…"

"Locked?" Hermione's eyebrow rose.

"Well, I couldn't open it. _Alohamora_ would not work. I'd never been in there before anyways, you know, bad memories and all…"

Hermione pushed past Harry and Ron and began muttering incantations and waving her wand in different patterns. Finally there was a click, and Hermione rushed to open the latch.

Inside was a bound and unconscious Rose, explaining why she never responded to their calls or tried to make any noise to be found. Hermione rushed to her daughter and enveloped her into her arms.

Hermione began untying the bonds as soon as Rose had been moved into the sitting room. Harry and Ron stood back solemnly, hoping that Rose was alright. Finally Rose was free of her bonds. Hermione swished her wand and uttered _Ennervate_.

Rose stirred slightly, and began moaning in pain when she accidently moved in her state of awakening. "Mum?"

Hermione sighed with relief and patter her daughter's hand. "We'll get you to St. Mungo's dear, don't you worry. You'll be fixed up in no time." Hermione smiled and brushed the hair from her daughter's face. She let Ron pick their daughter up bridal style and carry her through the Floo Network, as Apparating would be painful for her.

Minutes later she was in a bed besides a still unconscious Albus. Rose couldn't really remember what had happened last night. She remembered falling down a hill, and a lot of running. She could remember the strong shield charm she had cast, and how they had escaped momentarily. Rose also remembered Albus being hit with a stunner, but after that, nothing.

Hermione informed her daughter of the other casualties. There, unfortunately would be some mourning for their family this holiday.

Rose cried as her mother told her of how bravely her Aunt Audrey had fought, andHeHHhh had managed to save Alice from the Cruciatus curse, and in return had paid for her bravery. Her Auntie Gabrielle had also perished the night before, in a brave attempt to protect her niece Dominique, she gave her own life.

The tears welled in her eyes as she realized how serious this was getting. They meant business now, and Rose planned to take them down, no matter what the cost. It was her family, and they had nothing to do with whatever the eldest Malfoy wanted.

Scorpius came to visit that afternoon, apologizing profusely, and together they cried over the loss of family, as Scorpius was just as much a part of her family as his own. Albus awoke just before dinner time, leaving Rose the unfortunate job of telling him what had happened. James moaned from a bed across the hall, apparently he had been hit with a nasty entrail-expelling curse, and they were still trying to repair the damages done by the spell. Luckily it had been reversible, but the scars would never go away.

The only other person seriously injured was Victoire. She had taken four stunners to the front, and they feared damage to her unborn child.

Scorpius promised he would explain why he had to leave earlier tonight when she was out of the hospital, as he didn't want people overhearing about his parents being in hiding and such, but he promised it was nothing serious.

Dominique visited later that night, when Albus had gone home and Scorpius had returned with him. Technically it wasn't even visiting hours, but she obviously didn't care.

"Rose, Rose I can't do it. I can't do this now, I just cannot go through with it!" Dominique wasn't crying, but pain was evident in her voice.

"Dom, you have to. For crying out loud, Teddy is still here. Go talk to him now!"

"No. Not until Vicky is out of hospital at least. I feel so guilty, it's my fault that Auntie Gab is dead, she died because of _me_. And now I'm going to tear apart the most perfect couple? No way."

Rose rolled her eyes at her cousin. "Dom, Auntie Gabrielle's death was _not_ your fault. It was her decision, you didn't push her in front of the spell! And, look, I know you love Teddy and all –" this received a loud _Shh!_ from Dominique, Rose simply sighed in response, "But I doubt this bit of news would ever tear them apart. At least not permanently. They're going to fight, maybe even take some space for a bit. But they love each other Dom, and I doubt they'd break up so soon in their marriage. But most importantly, they will not blame you…_entirely_. Sure Vicky will probably not speak to you for a while, but sisters forgive eventually. They have to."

"Rose, you better be right. But I'm still not talking to them _tonight_. They still haven't heard anything about the baby. If it's bad news, I don't know what I'll do." Dominique looked wistfully at the door.

"It's fine Dominique. But you better tell them before we go back to school, or I'll see to it myself that they find out."

Dominique glared at her, "You wouldn't dare! You swore on witch's honour!"

"Ah, but Albus did not."

Dominique stared at Rose in shock. "When did conniving Rose return, and what have you done with the calm and quiet one I was getting used to?" she smiled slightly.

"You can blame Scorpius for that one. He's a bit of a bad influence, you see," Rose grinned. "Anyways, I'll be out of here by tomorrow hopefully the doctors said. The bones are pretty much healed. You should go before you get caught."

Dominique smiled at Rose, "See you late cousin." And with that she strode from the room elegantly, as Dominique always seemed to do, no matter her emotions or secrets she withheld.

Rose turned over and closed her eyes, wishing herself into a dreamless sleep. But, she was, unluckily, not obliged.

In her dream she was in that little closet once more, but it was almost an out-of-body experience. She watched as the man pointed the wand at her and said _Imperio_, and Rose gasped, not remembering this part of the night.

"_Now Rosie dear, you must never repeat what I am about to tell you…"_

The rest of his words became a muddled blur, and Rose felt as if someone had cast a _Muffliato _curse on her. Rose watched as the man continued to speak, and she tried to read his lips, but it was impossible.

Dream Rose nodded her head in a trance-like motion. Rose watched in horror as the man stunned her non-verbally with his wand, bound and gagged her, and then left, sealing the door behind him.

Rose awoke with a start, but the memory of the dream was quickly subsiding. She knew she couldn't tell anyone, not if she tried. But that didn't mean she couldn't try to get the spell removed somehow, even though she didn't know what she was supposed to have done under the curse. But it couldn't be good.

When her healer visited her that morning, she prepared herself for her question. Surprise set in when she saw Madam Pomfrey's sister was assisting her once more.

"Healer Pomfrey. Can I…can I ask you something?"

She nodded her head, "Of course dear, anything. I'll do my best to answer. If not, I'll try to find someone who can," a smile graced her lips.

"Can an _Imperius_ curse be removed once set?"

Healer Pomfrey seemed thrown off by the question. "I'm sure it's not unheard of, but I am not familiar with any incantation. Perhaps I could retrieve the head of the Spell Reversal Department for you?"

Rose nodded and thanked the woman as she checked all of Rose's vitals.

"After you have your question answered you'll be free to leave Rose, you seem to be doing just fine." And with another grin she was gone.

Rose sat up straight as another healer brought in her breakfast, and she tucked into the hot meal eagerly. The tea soothed her throat, and the porridge felt heavy in her stomach, but she was satisfied.

Rose was just starting to doze off when there was a knock at the door. A woman with reddish-blonde curly hair entered. Her lime green robes were bright to Rose's eyes and she almost had to squint to look at her. She seemed familiar, and Rose realized she'd seen her before.

"Hello Miss Weasley, I presume you are feeling much better?" Rose nodded, "I hear you have a question for me?"

Rose peered at the woman again; it was only now she noticed the little pock marks covering her skin that looked like scars of an acne-filled childhood. However, upon closer examination, she noticed the surprising shape the pocks seemed to take across the woman's face.

'SNEAK'

"Ah, I see you've noticed. Naturally you would, given your lineage. Hermione Granger's daughter I believe?" Rose nodded, "Well, your mother is who I have to thank for this handiwork."

Rose stared at the woman in shock. "My mother?"

"Yes. My name is Marietta Boot, or as I was known during my school days, Marietta Edgecombe. Let's just say I justly deserved them, and I regret why I received these marks in the first place. I'm still not the biggest fan of your mother, but we get along."

Rose simply nodded. Now realizing where she recognized the woman. This was Sarah's mother, and they had met when the Malfoy family had invited them to their house for Quidditch. Rose had never had the chance to meet Sarah's parents, since she had left in such an embarrassed state so early on.

"Anyways, your question?"

Rose stumbled for a moment over her words, unsure how to phrase it without sounding suspicious.

"Is there a way to…well see, I'm not even sure if there is a point to this, because I don't know if it really happened…but is there a way to remove an Imperius curse once it's been set?"

Healer Boot looked thrown off for a moment, she had not expected such a question from the girl.

"Why do you ask?"

"I think I know someone who is under one, but they're not sure if they are or not. See they don't remember it, but they dreamt that it had happened, or at least, thought it was a dream, and they want to be sure that it's not true."

The woman eyed Rose carefully, could this be a confession or her own handiwork? Or is this 'someone' really Rose? She decided not to question it and just go with the hypothetical story.

"Well there's always _Finite Incantatem_, but it's not always reliable, and the only way you can know if it worked is going against what you've been told, and sometimes that can get you killed. However, there are other spells, much more difficult, but I can look into it if you would like. I'll put my research team on it. Don't worry Rose, we'll get _your friend_ out of whatever mess they are in."

Rose smiled, the healer had figured her out, it seemed. And she managed to not speak about what had happened to _her_ specifically, only a hypothetical situation. Loopholes were wonderful.

It was after lunch when Rose was finally inside her own home. This time she had luckily not missed the train ride back to school, as it left the following morning. There would surely be some gossip this time around. The family was no longer being attacked in public; we had been ambushed in the private of our own home. Was anyone safe? Especially when these people could get their way in to the home of none other than Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, himself.

There was a tapping on the window, and Rose laid her eyes upon the tawny owl tapping on their window with its beak. Undoing the latch, Rose allowed the owl to hop slightly into their kitchen. A letter was attached to the bird's leg addressed to Rose, so she untied it quickly before giving the owl a few treat pellets and letting it wait on the roost with their other owls, she began opening her letter.

_Rose,_

_I am sorry once again for the trouble my family has caused yours. Your grief is my grief, and I am deeply ashamed of my grandfather's actions._

_Regretfully, my reason for having to leave before the party was unfortunately not a very good one. Father Flooed the Potter residence to tell me that my mother had fallen ill, and that she needed a Healer right away. He asked if I could watch her as he retrieved a Healer from St. Mungo's. I apologize, but my mother is now feeling much better. Just a case of Scrofungulus. Luckily it was cured, no worries._

_I hope everything is alright with you, I will see you tomorrow._

_Love,_

_Scorpius_

"OOH! _Looooove_ Scorpius! Scorpius _looooves_ you Rose!"

"Shut up Hugo!" Rose's face flushed instantly. Apparently her brother had been reading the letter over her shoulder and had only taken in the last annotation. "He finishes all of his letters like that, _always_!"

"Suuure Rosie! MUM! DAD! ROSE GOT A BOOOYFRIEND!"

"SHUT UP HUGO! NO I DON'T!"

What a typical Weasley household afternoon.

"What's this Rosie? A boyfriend?" her mum sounded hurt, "And you never told me?" That explains it.

"A _boyfriend_? He better be just a _friend _who happens to be a _boy_." Rose's father looked murderous. "No one is laying a hand on my Rosie."

"Oh shut up Ronald, let the girl speak. Perhaps we're mistaken, Hugo does like to frame his sister," Hermione smiled at her daughter.

"Hey!" Hugo shouted, "Do not!"

"Oh?" Rose turned on her little brother, "What about the time you caught Crookshank's tail on fire? Or the Butterbeer you drank all by yourself from dad's stash? How about the time you snuck out and blackmailed me into covering for you? Or when…"

"When did you sneak out Hugo?" Hermione looked at her son sternly.

"Oi! Rose! They didn't know about that one!"

"Oops!" Rose smiled innocently at her brother, but she knew all too well what she had been saying and hoped he would be caught for something finally.

"We'll talk about that after. Anyways, what's the story Rose?" her father eyed her sceptically, his gaze burning into the letter in her hand.

"Hugo's lying, just because Scorpius ends his letters with _Love Scorpius_, doesn't mean he loves me _like that_. That's how he _always_ ends his letters," Rose could feel the heat rushing to her face as she explained the situation. And she didn't necessarily say that she didn't have a boyfriend, so she wasn't lying, was she?

"Alright Rosie dear," Hermione smiled knowingly at her daughter and Rose felt like her mother somehow knew everything. "Let's go make sure your trunk's all packed, shall we. Ron, help Hugo."

Rose knew all well what this meant. Girl talk while her father and brother blew off Hermione's instruction by sneaking out to get ice cream.

Indignantly, Rose followed her mother up the stairs, pleading with any great wizard that her mother would be understanding and would be OK with everything. Her mother always knew how to break things to her father, and if all went well, Rose and Scorpius might be allowed to stay together.

Hermione bustled about Rose's room for nearly ten minutes before she heard the audible sound of the front door closing, signifying the boys had "successfully" snuck out of the house for their pre-dinner desserts.

Turning to her daughter, she smiled. "How long?" Hermione had figured it out the moment the blush crept up her daughter's neck in the true Weasley fashion, not at all a Granger trademark.

Rose seemed to splutter for a moment, "Wh-what are you talking about? How long what?"

"How long have you and Scorpius been dating dear," Hermione plastered a smile on her face to show her daughter that yes, she was upset to be finding out so late, but that she was perfectly OK with the relationship. After all a person's actions dies with the person, and what the Malfoy family has done in the past, or what the senior Malfoy member has been doing in the present has no effect who Scorpius is. He was a good kid, with good intentions, and her daughter was clearly infatuated with him.

Rose hesitated at first, but finally felt at ease when her mother smiled. "Would you be hurt if I said more than a year?"

Hermione's smile faltered for only a fraction of a second, but then returned to its brilliance. "Rose dear, I'm just amazed you managed to keep such a thing a secret for so long. Who else knows?"

"Albus, Sarah and Dominique. And I think Lily, and obviously Hugo, suspect something has been up," Rose smiled, "It wasn't easy to keep the secret, but we just kept to ourselves like we always did and acted normal, like nothing was out of the ordinary. We didn't want his grandfather finding out, you know?" Her smile turned sheepish and she looked at her feet.

"Rose dear, it's nothing to be ashamed about, I understand. I just wish you would have told me sooner. Your father doesn't need to know how long, but he does need to find out about this relationship. I can try to break it to him once you go back to school if you'd like?" Rose nodded. "OK dear, now let's go through your trunk. I was serious when I wanted to make sure you have everything." Hermione smiled at her daughter, and they began the tedious task ahead of them.

…

"So they know?"

"Well, not exactly Albus. Just mum does officially. She's going to try to break the news to dad once we're back to school. Hugo suspects now, and plans to hunt you down Scorpius, so watch your back," she smirked at the blonde.

Rose fiddled with the charm bracelet on her wrist. Albus had given her a new one, as a sort of late Christmas present/early birthday present. The small blue shield reflected the morning light back at Rose and she smiled. The significance of the shield was crucial to her, as even her mother was impressed when she had heard of the powerful shield charm her daughter had performed to save her and Albus.

"I can handle him Rose, I just need to turn on my Malfoy charm and arrogance," Scorpius tried to smirk, as he would put it, devilishly, but this only made Albus and Rose laugh at his efforts. His smirk turned into a pout as he realized he was being made fun of.

"Oh what would our friendship be without that Malfoy charm and arrogance?" Albus crooned dramatically, clutching his heart as if in pain. Scorpius threw him a glare, causing Rose to snort, in a very unladylike fashion, in amusement. "But you're still keeping a secret from everyone else, right?"

"Maybe…maybe it's time the family knew," Rose bit her lip as she thought of the prospect of telling all of her cousins that she had been lying to them for the past year.

Scorpius gulped. "Everyone?" he asked, his voice raising an octave out of nervousness.

"Or maybe a few at a time…"

"Don't do that Rose. Remember when Lucy kept the secret about her and that Hufflepuff kid for like three months, and she told only a few cousins at a time, and not only did it blow up in her face, but some cousins felt hurt when they weren't told first," Albus shook his head. "I think it's best to just call a family meeting tonight in the Room of Requirement. Scorpius, you're officially invited of course."

Scorpius nodded, but you could tell he was nervous.

"Don't worry big boy, you can hide behind me for protection," Rose smiled at him and patted him on the knee. This didn't seem to help much, but the nervous look on his face dissipated slightly. "Anyways, Albus, hand me your Frog card."

"His what?" Scorpius seemed confused.

"I need to let everyone know about the meeting. After New Years I developed a way we can call family meetings. I got the idea from this year's Christmas story." Albus passed Rose an ordinary Chocolate Frog card that had what looked to be a greasy old man staring out at them with cold eyes.

"What are you doing with the Professor Severus Snape card then?" Scorpius was intrigued. He had a feeling he knew what she was about to do.

"Well, my mum told me how when our parents were in school and they were having secret meetings to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts – no one was teaching it _right_ – that they needed some way to call a meeting without looking suspicious," Rose held the chocolate frog card up, "The idea was a Protean charm. She used Galleons – fake ones mind you – and set a Protean charm on them, so when a meeting was to be called, my mum changed the date on Uncle Harry's coin and the date changed on all of the coins, and the holder of any of these coins would know it changed because it becomes very hot until you have looked at it, ensuring you don't miss the meeting time."

"So this card has a Protean charm on it then?" Scorpius smiled at her brilliance.

"Yep, every member of the family has one. Sometimes the card has significance to the beholder. Albus here has one of his namesakes. Mine is Paracelsus, you know, the alchemistic genius? James has his dad, Lily has Gwenog Jones. You get the idea." Scorpius nodded. "Anyways, I actually have one here for you too. Let me get it." Rose began rummaging through her rucksack, her arm seemed to keep going until her shoulder was hidden from view.

"Undetectable Extension Charm? Brilliant!" Albus grinned.

Rose blushed sheepishly. "Thanks. Anyways, this is taking forever, _Accio Card_." Rose's arm came out holding another Chocolate Frog card and she passed it to Scorpius.

Scorpius looked down at the card in his hand. Instantly he recognized the woman in the portrait. With her blonde hair streaked with grey, and her piercing eyes, Narcissa Malfoy was just as beautiful as ever. But there was just one problem, Narcissa Malfoy didn't _have_ a Chocolate Frog card

"But – "

"I know, I know. She doesn't _have_ a Chocolate Frog card. _That anyone knows of_." Rose grinned and turned to Albus, prompting him to explain.

"She helped my dad you know, in the battle. I know it was just to save your dad, but she's pretty much the reason the good side of the war won. My dad insisted that if they weren't going to put a Narcissa Malfoy card on the market, to at least make him one and he planned to give it to your grandmother someday when he found it appropriate. I couldn't take the original, naturally. A simple _Geminio_ charm sufficed. Just don't spread this, it's supposed to be a secret."

Scorpius felt a few tears well up in his eyes, not wanting to be caught crying, he turned to look out the window and quickly wiped his eyes hoping they never noticed. "Thanks guys. This means a lot."

Rose took her wand and performed the charm on the Snape card, changing the card's expiry date to today, and changing birthplace to ROR to signify where the meeting would be held, and the card number to 900, letting her family know the meeting would take place at nine o'clock. She smiled at her handiwork, and it only grew as she saw Scorpius lift his up, signifying that he had felt the warmth of the charm working in his hand.

"That's brilliant Rose," he beamed at her.

The door opened then, revealing Sarah as she dragged her trunk in behind her. They still had yet to leave the station because for once Rose's family had been early and they had to wait longer than ten minutes just to leave.

"I felt the card heat up Rose, is there a meeting tonight?" Rose had Owled one to Sarah the day before because Sarah had said she wasn't sure, but she might have been late for the train.

"Officially on the invite list too?" Scorpius smiled at her as she sat beside Albus, who helped her drag her luggage where the other's rested.

Sarah pulled out her card, revealing the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw. "Yep, got mine yesterday." Smiling, she tucked it back into her sack. "What's the meeting for anyways? I'm assuming you called it."

"Well, my mother has discovered us – " she pointed at herself and Scorpius, "out, so I know that it's probably time we let the rest of the family know. If they ask how long, well they're going to kill me for keeping it a secret for longer than a year."

"Too bad. It had nothing to do with them, you were just doing it for your own safety and comfort," Sarah leaned back in her seat, "I am behind you one hundred percent. Besides, it's none of their business anyways." Sarah haughtily stuck her nose up in the air.

Rose took out the water bottle she had in her sack, only to realize it was empty. Reaching for her wand, she was about to recite the usual refilling spell when Albus suddenly stopped her.

"Can I do it, please?" he asked, fingering his new wand gingerly. His parents had bought him a new one after lecturing him for two hours on how to keep his wand safe. Most of the lecture had come from his mother, though, while his father only nodded along sheepishly, having broken his own wand once.

The cherry wood gleamed in the morning sunlight, and Albus beamed proudly.

"Oh go ahead Albus," Rose smiled tentatively, for fear that the wand would backfire or explode.

Albus cleared his throat, and aimed the wand at the bottle's mouth. "_Aguamenti_."

Water flowed crystal clear from the tip of his wand and poured effortlessly into the bottle's neck filling it up. Rose let out a sigh of relief that the wand had performed well, and Sarah patted him on the shoulder in congratulations.

When the bottle had filled, Rose nervously lifted the bottle to her mouth and took a swig, contemplated it and then swallowed. "Wow Albus! It's even cold, I'm impressed!" Rose continued to drink her water, beaming at her cousin.

Several hours later they arrived in Hogsmeade Station. As they exited the train, the four Ravenclaws made their way towards the carriages. Around them, Rose could hear the unmistakeable sounds of whispering, and as she glanced around, students were pointing at them and looking away once Rose glanced in their direction. Frowning, Rose held her head high and pulled Albus along beside her.

"We're in the gossip it seems," she hissed into his ear.

"Pay no heed Rose. Besides it wasn't _your_ house they broke into now was it?" Albus embarrassment could be seen in his large green eyes.

Rose looked at her cousin, "Sorry Al," she said quietly, pulling him in for a sideways hug.

It seemed Scorpius had located a free carriage and the four hopped inside, sitting in the empty seats. The other four seats were quickly filled by Lorcan, Lysander, Louis and a small Hufflepuff that none of them could put a name to.

The trip was short, and what felt like moments later they were all sitting at their respective House tables in the Great Hall, awaiting the Welcome Back speech and feast. Professor McGonagall stood before them and held her arms high.

"Welcome back students. I hope your holidays were well, and the time with your family and friends enjoyable. Some of you may have heard of some incidents over the holidays – " her eyes landed on several Weasley family members amongst the students, including Rose and Albus, "Let it be known that the incidents have been taken care of, and we ask of you to keep gossip at a minimal if at all none. It would be respectful and kind of you. Now, I know after your train ride back some of you must be famished, so tuck in!"

Professor McGonagall stepped back and the tables instantly filled with a delicious array of food.

"Well that was certainly nice of Professor McGonagall," Rose said with a smile as she delicately filled her plate, using a fork and knife to eat her mashed potatoes to avoid a mess on her robes.

"Yeah, dad Flooed her last night and asked her to do so. He was afraid Lily and I would be teased," Albus said darkly, "I hope he knows I can handle myself…"

"I'm sure he knows that Albus," Rose smiled reassuringly.

"Yeahff Alfbushh, jourr daahhrrd tchrusts youff," Scorpius said through the food in his mouth. Rose smacked his arm.

"In translation, that was 'Yeah Albus, your dad trusts you'," Rose rolled her eyes at the blonde boy beside her who was still stuffing his face. Scorpius only grinned with his cheeks full of food and shrugged his shoulders as if to agree.

"I have a surprise," Albus suddenly said, perking up. "I meant to tell you guys on the train but I completely forgot!"

Rose, Scorpius and Sarah looked at Albus, waiting for the 'surprise' he was going to give them.

A minute seemed to pass by, "And what is it?" Scorpius finally asked, completely out of patience.

"Oh, right!" Albus reached into his bag and pull the corner of something out of it, allowing only the four of them to see. The silky material flowed over his hand as it shimmered in the candlelight of the Great Hall.

"Is that…?"

"Quite right Rose, nicked it off James," Albus grinned mischievously. "It's not like James needed it anymore anyways. He's not the one sneaking around Hogwarts. By rights, it should have been given to me back in September!"

Rose rolled her eyes at her cousin, but noticed the confusion on both Sarah and Scorpius' faces.

"This is an Invisibility Cloak – "

"Not just _any_ Invisibility Cloak Rose, _The_ Invisibility Cloak," Albus smirked proudly.

"Right. This is _The_ Invisibility Cloak. Once belonging to Uncle Harry, and his father, and his father, and so on. You may know it from _The Tale of the Three Brothers_? Albus here is a descendant of the great Ignotus Peverell himself.

_"The oldest, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. So, Death fashioned him one from an Elder Tree that stood nearby.  
__The second brother decided that he wanted to humiliate Death even further, and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So Death plucked a stone from the river, and offered it to him.  
__Finally, Death turned to the third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility."_

"Ignotus Peverell was the third brother. His older brother Antioch, was the possessor of the Elder Wand, and the middle brother, Cadmus, was the possessor of the Resurrection Stone. Together they are the Three Brothers."

"I never knew the story was _real_!" Sarah squeaked in awe. "I just thought it was another of those stories that parents use to teach their kids good morals and whatnot."

"Well now you know the truth. A lot of Pureblooded families descended from the Peverells. The Potters, the Gaunts, the MacMillans. Most are descended along the Black family line though. Plenty of crossover, purebloods can be filthy sometimes, no offence to your families. I'm proud to be half-blood."

"As am I," Sarah boasted.

"Hey! I'm a half-blood too!" Albus protested.

"I'll just wallow in my filth over here, don't mind me," Scorpius grumbled to himself.

"Don't take that personally Scorpius. At least your dad was smart, married a different lineage of Purebloods. The relation is probably so many generations back that you can't even count it. Besides, you're the least filthy Pureblood I know!" Rose wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here and up to the tower. We have to mentally prepare ourselves for that meeting if we want to survive."

On their way up the stairs, Hugo bumped into them. "Finally going to spill about your _undying_ love for each other now are you? You're lucky I like you Scorp, or I would have hexed your balls off," Hugo grinned evilly, before sprinting up ahead of them and out of sight.

Scorpius had paled slightly, knowing Hugo probably meant the truth. "I'm done for."

"You'll be fine. James would have been the only one to worry about, and he's not here anymore. Although I bet we will hear from him _very_ soon. Or at least, as long as it takes Lily to owl him." Scorpius groaned.

"But Rose, James _hates me_! All the holidays I had to get Harry to put protective charms around my bed because on the first night James filled it with snakes! He never got over his stupid childish ways, still believing that I'm the devil's spawn. He only puts up with me for Albus' and your sake."

Rose looked at him in disbelief, "Why didn't you tell me? I knew he hated you, but _snakes_? How pathetic!"

"He'll hunt me down on the next Hogsmeade trip and skin me alive!"

"Well then we won't go to Hogsmeade, that simple," Scorpius seemed unconvinced, but he dropped the subject.

They sat in the plush chairs surrounding the fireplace, lucky enough to be some of the first to arrive back to the Common Room. Rose heaved a sigh of comfort as she set herself further into the cushions. "Do we have to go?" she asked, closing her eyes, ignoring the clock as it ticked closer to nine o'clock with every second that passed. The time was just past eight thirty.

"Rose, you called the meeting, of course we have to go!" Albus said in annoyance for what felt like the fifth time. "Let's just go now and get it over with."

Scorpius suddenly stood up, filled with an unknown confidence that bubbled from nowhere. "Let's go!" He pulled Rose up by her arm, and Albus did the same with Sarah and they began their ascent to the Room of Requirement.

* * *

**A/N:** So like it? Love it? What about the Rose Imperio situation? Hmm you'll have to wait to hear about that! And the meeting will be next chapter! Oh I love leaving you guys in suspense haha! Anyways, leave more lovely reviews because they make me happy, and a happy author makes for quicker updates! (or so I've heard!)


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **I know, I know. The length of time since my last update is positively ridiculous. However, here is Chapter 18. I hope you all enjoy! Feel free to read the long note I have left at the bottom explaining my absence and the future of this story.

* * *

**CHAPTER 18**

Rose peered over Albus' shoulder and looked at the map, which he had also apparently nicked from James, and they ensured the path they took was Professor and prefect free. Sure Rose and Scorpius were prefects, but the rules still applied to them. Creeping up the dark hallway gave Rose the chills. She had never really been out past curfew except for patrols and a few daring nights with Albus.

After criss-crossing in front of the door three times, the door appeared, much to Rose's chagrin, and they entered. It was small, but comfortable. Some of the furniture pieces were still singed from the prolonging damage that some cursed fire had created.

Scorpius stood behind Rose beside Albus and Sarah as each member of their family filed into the room. Apparently this also included family friends as both the Longbottoms and the Scamanders were there as well.

Shifting nervously, he eyed each member, trying to decide which members would murder him, and which would find this relationship perfectly OK, and not be upset.

Lily and Hugo smiled at him, so he felt good knowing that he more than likely had them on his side, which was surprising, considering how protective Hugo was of his sister. Dominique, Roxanne and Alice filed in next, and Louis dragged Lorcan and Lysander into the room. Thomas strolled in last by himself, looking like he was uninterested in this meeting, but was only here because of the glare Alice sent his way. That was a big deal, considering Scorpius was sure he had never seen Alice get angry.

"So what's the meeting for Rose?" asked Lily, a knowing smile on her face.

"Well I called the meeting – "

"Might I add, the cards are some brilliant wand-work Rose!" Alice piped up.

"Thanks Alice. As I was saying, I called the meeting because I have something very important to tell you all, and it would be best for me to just tell you all at the same time and hope for the best."

Albus patted his cousin on the shoulder comfortingly. Scorpius would do the same, but he felt out of place here and standing in the background right now sounded perfectly OK to him.

A moment seemed to pass, as Rose fidgeted nervously, unsure how to go about breaking a secret that she had kept for longer than a year.

"Well go on with it then!" Thomas grumbled suddenly, "Some of us have places to be."

Alice glared at her younger brother once more.

"Well…um…" Rose stumbled over her words.

"Rose and I are going out," Scorpius suddenly blurted out, completely by accident, unsure where this sudden burst of courage had come from, or whether or not it was pure idiocy, but he hated to see Rose in a situation she clearly did not want to be in.

Dominique, Lily and Hugo just smirked, but everyone else seemed to be in between reactions. Lysander and Thomas seemed like they could care less, as both bore identical looks of boredom and rolled their eyes. Lorcan stared at Rose in shock, his mouth open wide. Scorpius guessed the kid's childhood crush had never disappeared.

Louis begrudgingly handed Alice over a galleon, who smirked appreciatively at the two of them, as did Roxanne.

"You bet on us!" Rose spluttered out. Louis and Alice looked guilty for a moment, until Alice smirked.

"We're not the only ones!" Alice snickered. "Most of your older cousins had as well. Just wait 'til Victoire hears she lost 10 galleons to Teddy!"

Rose stared agape at her friend.

"So when did this happen then?" Dominique drawled, a smirk clearly evident on her face, as if she knew the answer to her question, but felt the need to ask it regardless.

Rose faltered for a moment. "Well, for your information – even though in all honesty, it's none of your business – we have been dating since the beginning of fifth year. And we didn't tell anyone, some people accidently found out, sure, but we told no one. For one, if Scorpius' grandfather knew I was his girlfriend, I would be a clear target. For another, I was afraid of what you guys would think."

Understanding dawned on her family's faces.

"You're lucky James isn't here, he'd _Avada_ you in a heartbeat," Dominique smirked at Scorpius, but patted him on the back nonetheless.

"If that is all, I'll be going then," Thomas sneered as he stood and left the room.

Rose stared shocked at Thomas's retreating form. The rest of the room seemed to empty out slowly.

"Well," Albus turned to his friend, "That went surprisingly well. I think Rose should owl the other members of the family, to avoid any disasters."

Scorpius only nodded, his stomach churned. What would the other family members think?

Rose returned minutes later, grabbed Dominique's arm, and the two left. Scorpius went to follow, but Albus shook his head.

"I think we know what that's about," Albus said, "Let's leave them be. Come on, we'll head back to the Common Room."

Scorpius nodded and followed his friend.

Rose dragged Dominique to an abandoned classroom down the hallway where she knew they would not be interrupted.

After closing the door, she turned on her cousin. Dominique recoiled, unsure where her cousin's sudden anger was coming from, but she guessed somewhat what was about to happen.

"Did you tell them?"

Dominique grimaced, she had been right. Shuffling on her feet, she replied, "I talked to Teddy."

"And?"

"He told me not to lie. Said I had no business and that I was a jealous child who should keep my head out of the clouds." Dominique sniffed and swiped her wrist across her eyes trying to stop the tear flow.

"Seriously? Well then we go straight to Victoire. She'll believe you, she's your sister."

"No, she won't. Victoire will simply think I'm trying to ruin her happiness by lying to her."

Rose thought for a moment. How could they possibly prove it to Teddy and Victoire that it happened, if one couldn't remember it, and the other wasn't even there? Her mind went into overdrive thinking, and then she got it.

"A Pensieve."

"What?"

"We've got to find a Pensieve. You're going to _show_ them what happened. I don't care if it's the most awkward thing ever. But it's the only way Victoire will ever believe you."

"Only one problem, where will we get a Pensieve?"

At this, Rose smiled.

"I know of two. There is one in the Headmaster's office, and Uncle Harry owns one as well."

"How will we use it? I can't leave Hogwarts, and do you really think Professor McGonagall would allow us to use hers? And even if she did, how would Victoire agree to come to see it?"

"Leave all of that to me," Rose smiled. She wasn't sure how she would do it, but she would find a way.

Dominique looked like she was trying to smile, but it just didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks Rose."

"Anytime cousin," Rose returned the smile.

…

A few weeks passed, and eventually everyone got over the shock of the relationship. Rose had owled the rest of the family, and had received several letters from upset family members for keeping it a secret, but not about her choice of who to have a relationship with, and had luckily avoided a Howler from James, as Uncle Harry had forbid him to, afraid it would spread the news to the school. She did, however, receive a very angry letter that made her cry.

Scorpius received a letter from him as well,

_Scorpius_

_You're lucky I have yet to come to that school to hang you up by your toes. Rose is like my sister, and I think of her and treat her as such._

_I was OK with letting you and Rosie be friends, I could live with that. Heck, I might have even been OK with a relationship in the future._

_But the fact that you kept this a secret from the entire family hurts._

_I understand that you were only trying to keep our Rosie safe, but how dare you let her keep it a secret from her _family_, the only ones who will be here for her when scum like you leave her in the dirt._

_I was even beginning to like you; consider that chance gone. Square one for you._

_James S. Potter_

_PS: Please notify my brother that I have never been more furious or proud of the fact that he nicked the Invisibility Cloak and the map from me_

Well. At least he understood his motives.

Scorpius had seated himself besides Albus and Rose at the breakfast table. He gave Rose the letter, and she subsequently scoffed at the words that were laced with empty threats. Albus grinned at the post-script piece, but other than that the letter didn't seem to faze him.

"Don't worry about it Scorpius. The only thing that should be on your mind is our Quidditch match today. We need to grind Hufflepuff into the dirt if we want to win that Quidditch cup. We only lost by like thirty points last year, no way in hell are we going to lose!" Rose grinned, "Especially with dearest Albus as the Captain!" She ruffled her cousin's already messy hair affectionately. Rose seemed surprised when several girls looked at her with envy. Sure, her cousin had looks, but he was taken, and Sarah was not letting him go any time soon.

Albus groaned and attempted to fix his un-fixable hair. Scorpius rolled his eyes at his friend and tossed a piece of toast at his face. The buttered side hit him square in the nose, and now he was covered in the slick oily butter. Albus stared perplexed at his now shiny nose for quite some time before Rose and Scorpius burst out laughing at their cross-eyed Captain, and his butter covered face.

Sarah arrived then, only to notice the ruckus as her friends mocked her boyfriend. She snickered, but grabbed a napkin and wiped his face affectionately. Albus grinned before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Rose wrinkled her nose at this. She loved the idea of them together, however her cousin's personal displays of affection was not of any interest to her.

Pulling on her keeper gloves, she looked at her friends. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Albus said, while swallowing his nerves.

"Kick ass guys," Sarah said with a large grin on her face, and Scorpius laughed at her abrupt and short pep talk.

The four made their way down to the pitch, and Sarah departed towards the stands, but not before giving Albus a good luck kiss. The three entered the changing room, and weren't surprised to see they were the first to arrive. It didn't take long though for the other four members of the team to arrive.

Everyone stood around expectantly, waiting for Albus to speak.

"You guys are ready for this. I mean Hufflepuff only got fifty points in their last game, and that was against Gryffindor. We're going to win this thing! Remember, score about a hundred points at least before I can catch the snitch, OK? We're already twenty up on Gryffindor and I'd like a bigger lead!"

"Calm down Albus, don't worry. We're flawless! Only person you should worry about is yourself. Beat Kaleigh to that snitch! She almost had it in that last game, if it hadn't been for that bludger…" Scorpius pointed out.

"Yes, bludgers. Keep them on either Kaleigh or Isaac. If you can even just distract them, we'll have a chance! Got it Liz? Hugo?" Both nodded, "Good." Albus grinned. "Alright, hands in!"

Albus had started this new pre-game thing. Everyone put their hands in the middle and screamed this ridiculous war-cry/they're going to lose chant, and then cheered. Rose thought it was odd really, but she did it for her cousin anyways.

Rose could hear the loud cheers of the crowd above, the chanting of _Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw! Raw Raw Raw!_ coming from the stands was making her hair stand on end in anticipation, and she could feel her adrenaline begin to rush. This was what she had missed over Christmas.

There was a bitter breeze in the air, but Rose's warmth spell kept the chills from their bones. Each member of the team mounted their broom and took off into the frigid sky above them. Rose swerved towards her position at the goal posts. Isaac Collins was directly across from her, guarding the Hufflepuff posts, and he followed the movements of his teammates. Isaac was known for being sharp, constantly with his eye on the ball. He never got distracted.

Scorpius could hear Professor Wood yelling rules below, how the game must be _fair_ and no _foul play_. She was talking to the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, she should know better.

There was a moment of pre-game silent anticipation, and then the whistle was blown.

The game seemed to never end, with Ravenclaw being up ninety points, with a score of one hundred and seventy to eighty, and Albus was searching desperately for the snitch. They had a well enough lead now that the cup was surely theirs.

Albus refused to catch the snitch though until they had a one hundred point lead, so sure enough the moment Scorpius got that eighteenth goal in, Albus set his eyes on the golden sphere and its delicate wings and quickly captured the snitch.

The Ravenclaw victory party may not have been as boisterous as a Gryffindor party, nor was it as classy as the Slytherin style parties, or as hearty as a Hufflepuff's, but they celebrated in their own way.

With many a bottle of Firewhiskey that a few seventh years had snuck in.

…

Exams were a lot less brutal on the sixth years, an almost break after the bout of craziness that OWLs had brought on, and the sure insanity that NEWTs would bring. Rose felt confident with her work, and she praised Scorpius and Albus on how well they studied this year. If all went well, they would be well prepared for NEWTs

Scorpius was to spend most of June and July with his parents, while the rest of the summer he would be shipped off to the Weasley home. Rose wasn't sure yet if her father knew about her relationship with Scorpius. She was sure her mother would have told him, or that James or someone else would have, but she was too cowardly to send him an owl herself.

The train ride home was spent in quiet, as Rose was just exhausted. Madam Pomfrey had insisted she and other members of their family returned at least once a month since Christmas to ensure there were no traumatizing effects of what had happened to their family. Her bones had healed just fine, but the terror of the attack and the loss of family had an effect on each member differently.

When they reached King's Cross they separated to find their families, Scorpius followed Albus as he would Floo from the Potter home, and Rose made her way towards her parents. Her father's face had a terse look, almost in disgust as he gazed across the platform, and Rose knew immediately that he knew something, as that was a look he only held when he was greatly displeased about something. Her mother had said he held that look any time she talked about Viktor Krum, a friend from their past.

Hermione immediately engulfed her daughter into a hug as they waited for Hugo to find them. "He promised to wait until we arrived at home before saying anything," she whispered tersely into Rose's ear.

Rose nodded, knowing there was a storm brewing behind her father's eyes as she gave him a tentative hug. He seemed to cool down for a moment as he hugged his daughter warmly, squeezing just a little too tightly.

He was upset, and Rose knew exactly why.

Hugo came bustling over then, and after hugging their parents, the four moved to the Apparition Point. Rose was now 17, and had taken her Apparition test several months ago. Scorpius and Albus had as well. Albus almost didn't pass. Luckily the witch testing him was easily distracted by his fame and didn't notice the toenail left behind, nor the bleeding toe through his shoe. Albus had winced his way through filling out all of the necessary forms and was then on his way, license in hand.

"Hugo, you can side-along with me. Rose you can handle your own Apparition, correct?"

Rose nodded at her mother, and grabbed her trunk before turning on the spot, thinking of the safe Apparition point just beyond their yard. She had a few seconds on the rest of her family, so she rushed inside as fast as she could and levitated her trunk ahead of her. Two cracks were heard behind her as her family followed.

"Rose, I would like a word."

Her father sounded stiff, like he'd rather not have this talk, but knew that it was necessary. Rose halted her trunk at the bottom of the stairs in her foyer and followed her father into the sitting room.

Her mother had followed in behind her, but not before shoving Hugo up the stairs and kindly asking him to go to his room until supper was to be served in an hour. Hugo reluctantly obliged, but not before shouting out "Good luck!" to his sister.

Rose grimaced. She'd need it.

Sitting down on the couch, Rose waited for the onslaught she thought for sure was coming. Minutes passed as her father paced back and forth, her mother calmly stood in the doorway, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"Why didn't you tell me Rose?" her father's voice sadly said, "I'm your father, you can trust me. You could have told me."

Rose had expected anger, outrage, blind hate even. But hurt? She had not expected her father to sound this rejected.

"After all these years, I thought…"

"Dad. Dad I trust you with my life, you know that! Of course I trust you!" Rose suddenly burst. The fact that her dad was this saddened by what she had done made her feel terrible.

"Then why couldn't you tell me?"

"Because! Because you hate his father, and you even hated him at first! Remember when I first told you we were friends? You practically blew a gasket! Hugo said you had a fit and broke a bunch of vases, and when I came home for Christmas you got really angry with me! I thought it would be worse if I told you we _were dating_," Rose whispered the last part, in case anyone were to overhear. "And to be honest, the only people that found out were the ones who found out by accident. Albus, Sarah and Lily. Not even Hugo knew! Mom only found out over Christmas, and that's because she has some crazy sixth sense or something!"

Ron finally seemed to cheer up a little, knowing Hermione was in the dark the whole time too seemed to make him feel a bit better. "I'm sorry you couldn't trust me Rosie, but promise me that next time you'll tell me, alright? Unless it's something more serious. Then you can tell your mother and she can break it to me gently." Ron smiled.

Rose smiled along with her father and hugged him. "Of course dad! As long as you promise not to be a git about it, I'll tell you anything!"

Hermione smiled, "Dinner will be ready in a half hour. Why don't you go unpack dear?" she nodded at her daughter.

Rose grinned and headed upstairs, glad it had all went well. She wondered if Scorpius would tell his parents about their relationship.

…

Scorpius sat between his parents in the living room on the couch. They had insisted he sit them down and tell them about his school year, as they did every year.

This year, however, a lot more exciting things happened. From finding out about Sarah's older brother who had passed away, to Quidditch. From Lily and her boy troubles, to the extra Unspeakable lessons he had been taking. It had been an eventful year.

"Any girlfriends Scorpius?" his mother asked, slight worry in her voice, but also a hint of mischief and curiosity. There was a knowing look on her face.

Scorpius took a deep breath. It was now or never. He probably shouldn't tell his parents, in case they were ever tortured for information. But he knew that even under torture, they would never tell.

"Actually. I think it's about time that I tell you that Rose and I have moved further into our relationship than just friendship," there he had said it.

"Meaning…?" his father prodded, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Meaning Rose and I are in a relationship, and have been for a while now. Before you say anything, yes we kept it a secret, but only as a precaution. We didn't want any word of it getting to grandfather. But as Rose's family has weaseled the information out of us, it was only fair that I told you. But I wanted to tell you in person."

Astoria smiled knowingly, as did Draco.

"Son, I'm just glad you finally worked up the courage to ask her out. I thought I was going to have to do it for you if you didn't cave in soon enough!" Draco laughed as his son gaped at him.

"You mean you're not angry?" Scorpius asked his father in shock.

"Of course not. I kept secrets from my parents when I was a kid. I know the deal. My father wasn't even aware of my relationship with Astoria here until we sent him a wedding invitation. My mother, as suspected, had known of course," Draco smiled knowingly at his son, "Even though we wish you would share everything with us, we know that's probably never going to happen. But just know that you can, alright?"

Scorpius nodded, and quickly embraced his father, catching Draco by surprise. But he gladly returned the hug. Astoria waited a moment, and then joined in, smiling at her two boys. Nothing could ruin this moment.

* * *

**A/N:** When I last left all of you lovely readers, it was over a year ago. Now I am back, and don't worry, I plan to finish this story. If you are wondering why I was on such a long hiatus, well here are my reasons:

First off, in the middle of August of last year I experienced a traumatizing event where a fellow student while I was on workterm, died. Myself and another coworker did everything we could first aid wise, and handed her over to the paramedics when they arrived, but there was nothing they could do.

After this, I had no inspiration whatsoever. I couldn't look at anything that made me happy anymore, because all it brought was sadness. So this story, unfortunately, fell into a void.

I went back to school, my third year of University, and not only was it a rough year, but I was dealing with school, along with working part time, along with a lot of other issues in my life, and so every time I tried to write, I lost all interest. I couldn't even read a book for pleasure, there was just nothing holding me to it.

This summer I finally began pulling myself out of my funk. I opened up my fanfiction email only to see copious favourites, alerts, reviews and private messages. Asking when I would finish this story, and what had happened to me. I felt so loved, and so each and every day I took this story out and just wrote a little bit, adding more whenever something inspired me.

I think I've finally got my groove back for writing, however you will have to bear with me as I am a little rusty with my characters and story line. Do not worry, this story will be finished. I predict somewhere between 20-25 chapters for this story, and I am proud to say it will be the first chapter story that I have ever completed.

I also plan on writing a sequel to this. It will be a lot more planned out, as I have already started mapping out plot details, so I intend for it to be much better written than this story. My writing isn't as eloquent as most authors, but I am improving I do believe!

So thank you all so very much for sticking through this journey with me, and I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 18. Here's to many more!


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